FFXnow reports on Virginia DOT’s test of a mobile phone app that uses “smart crowdsourcing technology” to help commuters locate unoccupied parking spaces at park-and-ride lots in real time. The department is making ParkZen available to drivers who use six Northern Virginia lots from this month until January as part of an initial evaluation.
In a VDOT news release, Amy McElwain, a VDOT strategic innovations program manager, notes, “Commuters have told us that not knowing whether parking is available at commuter lots is a deterrent to using transit, carpools, vanpools, and slugging. We know that taking the guesswork out of parking makes it easier for commuters to get out of their single-occupant vehicles. However, the challenge has always been finding the resources to install and maintain reliable counting technology.”
ParkZen saves the state from having to install counting equipment because it relies on anonymized data collected from app users. ParkZen can be downloaded for free for both Apple and Android devices, and its Louisiana-based developer is offering “top users” the chance to receive a $50 Amazon gift card for participating in the VDOT test.