The Virginia Department of Transportation is experimenting with a mobile app that will enable commuters to find available parking spaces in real time at select lots.
The app ParkZen began collecting data at six parking lots, including three in Fairfax County, this month for an initial evaluation period slated to continue until January 2025, VDOT announced on Tuesday (Nov. 12).
According to VDOT, commuters have cited uncertainty about the availability of parking as “a deterrent” to their use of transit, carpools and slug lines. The partnership with ParkZen is intended to address that obstacle.
“We know that taking the guesswork out of parking makes it easier for commuters to get out of their single-occupant vehicles,” VDOT Office of Strategic Innovations Program Manager Amy McElwain said in a press release. “However, the challenge has always been finding the resources to install and maintain reliable counting technology.”
ParkZen was developed in 2020 by Louisiana State University astronomy professor Manos Chatzopoulos and computer science student Haron Temam, who initially rolled the app out on their campus to help students locate available spots.
Supported in part by a $100,000 investment prize, the startup has expanded in the past couple of years to other university campuses, and in January, it branched outside of the higher education world by partnering with Frederick City in Maryland.
Currently available for Apple and Android devices, the app uses crowdsourcing technology to collect anonymous data from users when they’re in a participating parking lot. That information is used to update other drivers on the lot’s occupancy levels and direct them to an open space.
VDOT is testing ParkZen at the Saratoga Park and Ride on Barta Road in Newington, the Stringfellow Road Park and Ride (4920 Stringfellow Road) in Chantilly, and the Virginia Railway Express Backlick Road station (6900 Hechinger Drive) in Springfield.
Outside of Fairfax County, the Horner Road Commuter Lot in Woodbridge and the VRE stations at Brooke Road in Stafford and Leeland Road in Falmouth are also included in the trial period.
When selecting the test locations, VDOT wanted to ensure a “diversity in lot size, configuration, and proximity to interstates, express lanes, and commuter rail,” spokesperson Mike Murphy told FFXnow. The VRE lots also have sensors that can “help validate the app data.”
VDOT is encouraging as many commuters as possible to download the app so it can evaluate its effectiveness. ParkZen will give out $50 Amazon gift cards to the top users.
“The app’s success will be measured via independent evaluation to make sure the technology is working as intended and proving to be effective,” Murphy said. “The app’s success will also be measured by reviewing and validating the parking lot usage data for things like accuracy and timeliness. The more people at the six park and ride lots who use the app, the more accurate the app data will be.”
If the trial is deemed a success, VDOT plans to expand the technology to other commuter parking lots in Northern Virginia and Fredericksburg, starting in spring 2025.
Image via Google Maps
