DOT Testing New Technology Aimed At Making Parking Easier In NYC
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Street parking could soon get a lot easier for drivers in the city. The Department of Transportation is launching a new program to take the stress out of finding a spot.
Crews spent Wednesday morning sliding in yellow, hockey-puck sized sensors in a first-of-its kind effort to put the pleasure back into New York City parking.
"It's hard to park around this area, it's not easy," Belmont resident Ramiro Reyes told CBS 2's Jessica Schneider.
The pilot program is on 187th Street in the Belmont section of the Bronx and if sucessful, would be expanded to other city neighborhood, 1010 WINS' Terry Sheridan reported.
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Out-of-towners often flock to the area around Arthur Avenue, but parking can be a pain. Now, the DOT wants to change that.
"We're hoping that people won't have to circle looking for a space so it will ease congestion," sad Catherine Matera with the NYC DOT.
Matera is the senior project manager for the initiative that will track open parking spaces in the Bronx. It's already been tested in San Francisco and Los Angeles, but officials want to know if it will work in New York City, where parking spaces aren't marked and cars might not trigger the devices.
It's also unknown if the sensors can survive the rain, snow and wear and tear of these streets. All of this will be tested over the next two months and if it works drivers looking for a spot near 187th Street and Arthur Avenue will be able to log online by the summer to see what spots are open.
"If it works, that's fine with me, because I drive every day," Reyes said.
Business is always booming at M&G restaurant, and employees said one of the biggest complaints from their customers is just how hard it is to find parking.
"I think it's a good idea for all the people who come to visit little Italy here," employee Guillermo Marquez said. "A lot of times they complain, almost every day they complain about the parking. They get a lot of tickets on the street, yeah."
If it passes muster, the program is set to kick off by spring in the other boroughs if this initial test-run in the Bronx works as planned.
What do you think of this idea? Do you think it will make parking easier? Sound off below in our comments section...
