We all know the struggle of trying to find parking. It’s especially frustrating to me when I am in an unfamiliar city, usually downtown, and one way streets are getting me turned around!
Fortunately, TomTom is working on a solution for its customers. The company recently announced an On-Street Parking Service. It seems TomTom is staying on track to further develop technology needed for self-driving, or autonomous vehicles. Of course, there are other benefits as well.
“TomTom On-Street Parking offers drivers peace of mind and a less stressful parking experience, in addition to helping them save time and money. The service also helps reduce congestion in cities and thus lower CO2 emissions. ” Ralf-Peter Schäfer, Head of Traffic and Travel Information, commented.
The On-Street Parking Service works because of TomTom’s huge supply of GPS data. It uses this information to calculate when people need parking and where they need it. Then, TomTom calculates the chances of finding a parking spot on the street and an average estimate for how long you will spend searching for a spot. TomTom On-Street Parking will also include pricing, when applicable, and restrictions such as “30 minute parking”.
An example of a street profile
On-Street Parking aims to work with TomTom’s already-available Off-Street Parking which helps customers find spots in public parking lots and parking garages. The Off-Street Parking functions primarily the same, and also features pricing and restrictions, as well as listing disabled and motorcycle spaces.
TomTom On-Street Parking is expected to be live in 25 European cities before the end of 2016: Brussels, Copenhagen, Marseille, Paris, Berlin, Cologne, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich, Stuttgart, Milan, Rome, Turin, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Oslo, Moscow, Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia, Gothenburg, Stockholm, Birmingham, and London. I am confident that the number of cities in Europe and abroad will only increase with time as TomTom collects more data.
TomTom is a company based out of Amsterdam that focuses on traffic, navigation, and mapping products. You can view devices for sale as well as a full list of services and their descriptions on TomTom’s website.
