Digital Parking Meters Hit San Francisco Streets

Long the object of much disdain and the source of the public’s annoyance with ticket peddling attendants, those ubiquitous coin-fed parking meters will soon become a thing of the past—at least in San Francisco.

As part of its ambitious SF Park project, several test areas in the seaside metropolis will receive new digital parking meters that accept both credit and debit cards.

This test run for digitized meters is meant to determine if traffic and parking can both be regulated to the satisfaction of SF residents.

It works like this: wireless sensors transmit to a data feed that channels the info to street signs, the web and smartphone applications, guiding drivers to a suitable sparking space. The rates given by the new meters differ depending on where they park and how frequently the space is used, meaning you may have to shed a few dollar for an inconvenient slot but cough up more cash for a ‘hot spot.’

The bottom line is SF Park is the first of its kind in the world. If all goes as planned, parking as we know it (in San Francisco) will soon become hassle free.

via Engadget