Smart Parking Comes to Downtown Redwood City

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., June 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Motorists in downtown Redwood City can now more easily locate available on-street parking spaces, as well as nearby garages and lots, thanks to a new smart parking solution adopted by the City and implemented by Streetline, Inc. (http://www.streetline.com).  Redwood City joins two other Peninsula cities, San Carlos and San Mateo, to take advantage of the latest technology that aims to change the way we find parking.

"With everything going on Downtown, we know that finding parking can be frustrating – motorists need to more quickly and easily find a space," said Redwood City Mayor Alicia Aguirre.

Parker™ by Streetline is a parking guidance application that displays, in real time, on-street parking availability as well as location and policy information for lots and garages. In the near future, real-time occupancy information for the Marshall Street and Jefferson Street Garages will also be displayed in Parker.

Merchants can also reap the benefits of parking guidance with Streetline's ParkerMap™.  The ParkerMap is a free map tool that can be embedded on any website and displays available on- and off-street parking near a specified address.

"As a restaurant owner, providing the highest quality service is always a top concern. Since finding parking can be a challenge in downtown Redwood City, particularly if you are unfamiliar with the area, any tips we can provide to customers is the type of top-notch service we pride ourselves on. Adding the ParkerMap by Streetline to our website allows us to inform guests of the parking options near our building and how much they cost. It is a clear way to show where parking is available in relation to our location and it was simple to add to our website," 
said Basim Nimri, owner of Mandaloun Restaurant in Redwood City.

The Redwood City project area centers around the main downtown area of Broadway and Jefferson Streets.  This area was chosen because it includes a strong mix of retail, restaurants, and office space, as well as being an increasingly difficult area to park, especially given the increasing Downtown construction, growing economic activity, and more people visiting and working Downtown.

"Streetline is thrilled to partner with the City of Redwood City and bring smart parking technology to another Peninsula city," said Zia Yusuf, CEO of Streetline.  "Using mobile parking guidance, visitors to downtown Redwood City will be able to more easily enjoy all the City has to offer."

In addition to an easy-to-use search and visual map similar to GPS and in-car navigation systems, Parker by Streetline includes a hands-free option that provides an audible cue when available parking is nearby.

Some additional notable features of Parker by Streetline include:

• Real-time availability of select on-street parking spaces to guide consumers to open spaces; Parker updates automatically when a car is parked or leaves
• Hands-free voice navigation system that guides drivers to parking facilities using an audible cue when available parking is nearby
• Ability to toggle between availability and price, including real-time updates as prices are changed or updated
• Easy access to rates, hours, and time limits for both on-street spaces (both metered and unmetered) and off-street parking facilities where available
• Ability to enter an address or search by points of interest including airports, universities, shopping centers, featured neighborhoods, transit, and hospitals
• The ability to enter an address within Parker and view parking options nearest to that destination

For more information and to download the free Parker by Streetline app, visit http://www.theparkerapp.com

The ParkerMap is an excellent way for merchants to communicate with visitors to their website, add an additional differentiator and value of service, and increase foot traffic to their establishment. To generate a custom ParkerMap, users simply enter an address and the ParkerMap wizard generates a unique HTML code that can easily be dropped into any website. Among those already using ParkerMap are the City of Fort Lauderdale, Oregon State University, the San Mateo Downtown Association, and Mandaloun Restaurant in Redwood City.

For more information, visit http://www.theparkerapp.com/parkermap

Streetline's parking solutions have been successfully implemented in a number of other cities including Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles, Indianapolis, New Brunswick, Reno, and Washington, D.C.

About Streetline, Inc.

Streetline's mission is to make smart cities a reality through the use of sensor-enabled mobile and web applications. Streetline's pioneering technology makes the parking experience for consumers easier, while making cities and university campuses more efficient.

Already deployed in more than 30 locations in both the U.S. and Europe, Streetline's patented smart parking platform detects the presence of a car through a network of ultra-low power wireless sensors located in individual parking spaces. Data from these sensors, or from counting equipment installed in parking garages and lots, is then made available in real time via various cloud-based applications, such as Parker™ by Streetline, the leading mobile app for consumers, and – soon – in-car navigation systems. Earlier this year, Streetline introduced ParkerMap™, an embeddable widget that allows merchants, universities, cities, and parking providers to easily showcase nearby parking options via any website.

Streetline is a privately-held company headquartered in Foster City, CA with smart parking deployments in Germany, the U.K., and across the United States including California, Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, South Carolina, Virginia, and Washington, DC.  The company was named one of Fast Company's 10 Most Innovative Companies in Transportation, as well as IBM Global Entrepreneur of the Year. Streetline was named Best Mobile Innovation for 'Smart Cities' for Parker at the 2013 Mobile World Congress.

For more information on Streetline visit: http://www.streetline.com.

To download Parker by Streetline please visit: http://www.theparkerapp.com

To access the free ParkerMap visit: http://www.theparkerapp.com/parkermap

To follow Streetline on Twitter: @streetlineinc

SOURCE Streetline, Inc.