Drivers looking to locate an available public parking space in the US city of Sarasota can now call on a new smartphone app to help them find one.

Saratosa has partnered with smart transportation company Streetline to introduce Parker, a parking guidance app aimed at improving mobility for residents and visitors.

Saratosa drivers can also use the app to find the location of parking garages and lots.

The Streetline system also means merchants can publish available parking near their location on their websites and encourage more tourists to visit their stores. In addition, the city will receive detailed analytics to help it plan programmes and help set parking policies that enhance city mobility.

“Sarasota is a destination for tourism from across the state and around the world. This can create congestion,” said Mark Lyons, parking division manager, city of Saratosa. “Parker will help both visitors and residents park efficiently and help our economy grow.”

Real-time parking guidance is predicted to save motorists up to one third of the time it takes to find parking. This will make the downtown more accessible and increase merchants’ business. Faster parking can also reduce carbon emissions in the city, reducing congestion, all while increasing pedestrian and cyclist safety.

Key features of Streetline’s products include:

• For the motorist, Parker provides consumer guidance to open parking spaces near their destination. This saves them time and frustration in driving
• For the merchant, parking availability and guidance on websites. ParkerMap lets downtown businesses promote parking around their stores and attract more visitors to the area
• For the city, ParkSight’s customisable analytics, with current and historical data on parking occupancy, duration of stay and turnover, lets the city of Sarasota make smart policy decisions in its parking programmes, leading to a more efficient transportation system
• For garage and lot operators, ParkEdge allows them to publish their locations along with price, policy, and parking availability information. This information is displayed with on-street parking availability in Parker and ParkerMap.

Streetline’s system detects when spaces are available. That information is sent to Streetline’s space estimation engine, which in turn publishes that data to provide the location and availability of on-street spaces in real-time, as well as locations, rates, and hours of operation for garages and lots.

“Streetline is proud to partner with an innovative city like Sarasota,” added Manny Krakaris, CEO, Streetline. “They’re taking steps to proactively manage their parking and make the city work better for locals, merchants and visitors.”

Streetline’s parking solutions have been implemented in several other cities including Ocala, Los Angeles and San Mateo, and coming soon to Oakland, St Petersburg and Scottsdale.

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