Parking in Montreal is notoriously difficult: parking spaces are few and far between, and, because of the convoluted parking signs, it is never obvious whether or not you're parking illegally. But a new technology by a Montreal-based firm called Rumbo Mobile plans to change all that.
READ ALSO: Street Parking Is About To Get A Lot More Expensive In Montreal For The First Time In Over 10 Years
TL;DR A company in Montreal has developed technology that would allow motorists to find parking spaces and charging ports for electric cars through an app.
The idea behind the technology is relatively simple: sensors would be connected to each parking space and relay information about their availability to motorists through an app. This would allow drivers to see in real time where there are free parking spaces, which would help commuters avoid the dreaded turning-around-in-circles.
Rumbo Mobile's website makes grand claims: their technology would save drivers 15 minutes on average when looking for a space, clear up traffic congestion due to parking by 33%, and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 950,000 tons a year.
Rumbo Mobile also plans to do away with those aforementioned complicated parking signs, which are impossible to decipher from the road. Instead, a simple system of lights would be put in place to indicate wether or not a space is free: green for a free space, and red in a no-parking zone.
This is useful for cities like Montreal, where officials often need to manually place "No Parking" signs during snow clearing operations or construction (two very common occurences in the city).
@statdemtlThis technology will not only allow motorists to find parking spaces. It will also enable electric and hybrid cars to find charging stations more quickly.
Will this be the end of all of our parking woes? One can hope that, as it is a Montreal-based company, it will be piloted here. The idea isn't so removed from reality: Montreal parking is becoming more and more app-based, as drivers are now able to pay for parking on their phones.
