Sensor Networks In San Francisco Finds Parking Spots

MrSeb writes "You've heard of smart cars, and now, rolling out in San Francisco, is a smart parking system that promises to eliminate the arduous process of finding a parking spot. SFpark is a network of magnetic sensors that have been installed under 8,200 street parking spaces, along with additional information from parking garages and parking meters. These sensors are all linked together in a mesh network, and ultimately link back to a central command center. Drivers can access this parking data via the SFpark website or smartphone app, and see in real-time where parking spaces are available. At any one time, a third of cars on the road in urban areas are looking for parking spots, consuming more fuel, creating more pollution, and causing more accidents. With SFpark, you can see at a glance where there's a parking spot — but in the future, you'll be able to hit a button and have your smartphone direct you to the nearest parking spot."

Re:Race you to the nearest open spot

[PPH]

Hack the system. Advertise some bogus open spots a few blocks away. All the other suckers head over there. You park over here.

Re:Convergence

[Captain Splendid]

I can see the owner of the system making additional income by only showing parking places to the highest bidder, so places would show to the guy who bid $50, but not to the guy who bid $20 until all the higher bidders are off the system.

No, this is a municipal agency as far as I can tell, which actually makes this another liberal fascist policy telling us where we can park. Another freedom lost...

Re:One little detail...

[Anonymous Coward]

public transportation in unAmerican.

Re:Convergence

[Ethanol-fueled]

Yeah, fuck the liberals.

Always tryin' to regulate everything and give my hard-earned money to unions and welfare queens. Ketchup is a vegetable!

McCain 2012!

Re:My wife is a big stupid bitch, does anyone here

[Anonymous Coward]

There are man pages for your wife? Who wrote them? Her or you?