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Parking is a hot topic! And drivers have to deal with it.

Though an application helps drivers in New York and Boston finding a place to leave the car: that’s PrimoSpot wich has developed a database collecting pictures of thousands of parking signs. All the information is visible on an interactive map and the application delivers information on parking places, locations and even bike racks. PrimoSpot allows users to update information and the company is also planning to implement push reminders for users when parking time is about to expire.

Bryan Choi, sick of driving around his northern Manhattan neighborhood, Inwood, for finding a place to park his car has developed the iPhone Spotswitch application.

Spotswitch is a help network for parking. With its iPhone App and integrated website it locates fellow members leaving their parking spots. It will soon be available for other devices as well.

ParkingAroundMe is a free service that lets fellow drivers tell each other about available street parking through text messaging or Twitter. It started in Park Slope Brooklyn (focused on the area around New York Methodist Hospital) and plans to cover the rest of NYC very soon.

Parking is a problem for institutions as well as drivers. Congestion is oftend caused by parking inefficiencies. A study released in June by Transportation Alternatives, a public transit advocacy group, reported that 28 percent to 45 percent of traffic on some streets in New York City is generated by people circling the blocks (via New York Times). Solving the problem could have positive effects on transportation and the economy and environment.

Last fall in San Francisco 6.000 parking places where glued with a plastic wireless sensor. Drivers are alerted on empty parking places and can also pay for parking by cellphones.

Have you heard of any other interesting solution?

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