1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems and methods for traffic control, and in particular to a system and method for monitoring and reserving parking spaces.
2. Description of the Related Art
Transportation remains a formidable problem in many urban environments. Public transportation, while often convenient, is often limited in scope and operation periods, with many starting points and destinations inadequately served. Bicycles can be used for transportation, but bicycles are inconvenient in hot, cold, or wet weather, difficult traffic conditions on roads with inadequate shoulders, or where the user wants to arrive in formal clothes. As a consequence, although their use often results in substantial traffic delays, the automobile remains the most popular form of transportation in many urban and suburban environments.
Beyond traffic delays, there are other disadvantages with the popularity of the automobiles as a medium of transportation. Notable among these disadvantages is where to park the automobile at or near the destination of interest. Parking at many popular destinations is often difficult or impossible to find, particularly at events which draw large numbers of people at designated times (e.g. sporting events, concerts, etc.).
A person planning a trip downtown to a theater, say, can easily use the Internet to find the address of the theater and a preferred route to reach it. What the person cannot find is a map showing parking lots near the destination, and he or she particularly cannot find information about which parking lots have or might have available parking spaces, or where there might be available parking spaces along a curb for street parking. As a result, the person must drive to a location near his or her destination and then begin a search for a parking space. He or she may be fortunate and find an inexpensive parking space quickly, or may drive for an extended period of time before settling for an undesirable parking space (distant from the destination, unsafe, and/or costly). The uncertainty in how long it will take to find a parking space also causes wasted time. A person may arrive twenty minutes early for an appointment because they felt compelled to leave their starting point early enough to assure adequate time to find a parking space, wasting time that could have been spent on other activities. Similarly, if the person does not allow enough time for any expected search for a parking space, they will arrive late at the ultimate destination. This not only results in perhaps missing a portion of the event or meeting that the person was to attend, it can also waste the time of people who were waiting for us at the destination. Wasted time can also result in wasted money.
Searching for parking spaces also increases traffic load on many urban streets. Many cars on downtown streets are not en route to a destination, but are circling and searching for a place to park. This increases traffic congestion, energy consumption, noise, and air pollution.
What is needed is an apparatus and method for providing parking information to prospective users of those spaces, and for reserving those spaces. The present invention satisfies that need.