By John Pacenti
Delray Beach has launched a mobile app feature to help drivers find available parking spots downtown. The “My Delray Beach” app allows users to see a map of the city’s paid parking areas and view which spaces are currently open.
The parking feature on the app has been available since mid-December. There is a caveat: It works only for city-owned lots, not private ones. Also, the city’s lot by the railroad tracks at 25 NE Third Ave. is currently not incorporated into the system.
Public Works Director Missie Barletto called it a game-changer at the Jan. 7 City Commission meeting, saying that the feature “will help with people reducing the amount of time they drive around looking for parking spaces.”
The system is similar to the one used by Florida Atlantic University, Barletto said, where it has met with great success.
The app uses sensors installed to detect when a car has pulled in or out. This real-time data is then displayed on the app’s map, showing green for open spots and orange for occupied ones.
“It’s so simple and so easy to use,” Barletto told commissioners.
She said for parking lots there is one sensor that tells how many cars are going in and out. On-street parking has sensors for individual spaces.
The railroad lot proved troublesome, Barletto said, because it has numerous entrances and exits. “So we will be going out there and putting the individual parking sensors in the railroad parking lot as soon as we’re able to do that,” she said.
The My Delray app also allows residents to check out beach conditions, events, and obtain permitting, as well as information on the new Creative Arts School. It also allows residents to “report an issue” on building code violations, potholes, noise and other concerns.
Comments