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Google Maps Starts Showing Parking Availability For Some Users (arstechnica.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the stop-and-go dept.

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Back in August, Cody found strings in his teardown of Google Maps v9.34 beta that hinted at an upcoming display of parking difficulty. The option may have crept up for some users since then, but now we have our first glance into how the feature will work since it has started showing up for more users on Maps v9.44 beta. Parking availability will be shown as a small rounded P icon next to your route duration estimate when you search for driving directions, followed by more descriptive text. As Cody's teardown showed, there are three levels to look for: Limited, Medium, and Easy. Limited parking will get the P icon to turn red. Once you start driving toward your destination, you can expand the directions to get a more descriptive explanation of the parking situation. Our tipster tells us that according to his tests, parking availability shows up for public destinations like malls and airports and various attractions. The option doesn't seem to be live for everyone on Maps v9.44 beta (APK Mirror link), so you may need to be patient to see it on your phone.

53 comments

  1. Don't look at the gadget while driving by DogDude · · Score: -1, Redundant

    You shouldn't look at gadgets while driving. It's dangerous and stupid. Look at a map, BEFORE YOU GO SOMEWHERE. If you have to use a gadget, pull the fuck over. Fuck this stupid map feature that apparently encourages dangerous behavior.

    --
    I don't respond to AC's.
    1. Re:Don't look at the gadget while driving by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

      STFU, you republican. I'll do whatever the fuck I want to do, and you can't tell me otherwise, because you voted for Trump, and Trump is an illegitimate "president" that was sponsored by Putin. That invalidates all of your arguments. I think Obama should declare martial law so retards like you won't be able to have Trump as president, and Obama will then become president for life of the USA. This would be better than having Trump as president. I hope a democrat throws battery acid in your fucking face, you goddamn retard.

    2. Re:Don't look at the gadget while driving by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

      STFU, you republican. I'll do whatever the fuck I want to do, and you can't tell me otherwise ...

      Don't bet on it.

      I ride a motorcycle and if you drive like an idiot and I am put at risk of bodily harm by your idiocy, shit you will
      not enjoy will happen.

      Drive carefully, you pathetic little boy.

    3. Re: Don't look at the gadget while driving by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

      I'll just run you over because Trump is Not My President! And I get to do whatever I want now!!!!

    4. Re: Don't look at the gadget while driving by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'll just run you over because Trump is Not My President! And I get to do whatever I want now!!!!

      Some people, you just can't reach.

      And so we get what we had here today.

    5. Re: Don't look at the gadget while driving by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I know you're trying to troll, but as a different motorcyclist, once I know you're aiming for me, you'll never manage to hit me, I accelerate and brake way faster and I can fit in gaps you can only dream of, and I'll follow you filming you with my gopro to ensure that you're ass raped every day for the rest of your life by a big guy named bu bu. If you stop, you'd better have a firearm on you, because I'm wearing body armor, and a baseball bat won't do much.

    6. Re:Don't look at the gadget while driving by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, you do whatever you want but if you put me or anyone else in danger, I'll shoot you in the face.

    7. Re:Don't look at the gadget while driving by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Boys, take your road rage outside!

    8. Re: Don't look at the gadget while driving by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So driving with a load gun at all times ready in your hand is safe ?

    9. Re:Don't look at the gadget while driving by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If you have to use a gadget, pull the fuck over.

      Ok, let me just check the map for a safe spot to stop at.

      Says probably a majority of people not frequenting Slashdot.

    10. Re:Don't look at the gadget while driving by ruir · · Score: 1

      Do you know that are already technology in your Android and iPhone to display the maps in your car dashboard?
      It can be actually more safer people doing the right turns, than realising mid-turn they are turning in the wrong direction, and being idiots to the point of trying to correct the situation atm.
      Or worse, starting to back away in the motorway/freeway/highway after passing their exit. Because often local signs are idiotically placed to the point that when you see them the damage is done.
      GPS/Maps can be quite useful and actually improved the security in the road *if used* properly.
      Plus, it also reduces the stress of driving in unfamiliar locations.

    11. Re: Don't look at the gadget while driving by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Douchebag alert.

    12. Re:Don't look at the gadget while driving by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

      This feature is for N1GGERS (aka "some users"), so don't get upset so much in your libtard vagina.

    13. Re:Don't look at the gadget while driving by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      A feature that shows you the parking condition prior to your departure giving you exactly what you want is stupid?

      Maybe a little more reading and a little less frothing from the mouth.

    14. Re: Don't look at the gadget while driving by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      lol sorry tough guy

    15. Re: Don't look at the gadget while driving by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No way, it is in a holster beside the seat, with both a hammer and trigger safety. So it is plenty safe but takes longer to roll down the window than to draw and fire.

    16. Re:Don't look at the gadget while driving by DogDudeIsCool · · Score: -1

      Who cares? I mean this literally... other than car parkers, who cares? Every decade or two, when it's time to park a car, I go to the map store, and I buy something that they have in stock, within my budget. I couldn't care if it was a parking, traffic congestion, or FairyDust map. A map is a map is a map.

  2. all will be Limited soon by turkeydance · · Score: 1

    if Maps is right.

    1. Re:all will be Limited soon by PolygamousRanchKid+ · · Score: 2

      The next step will be that you can "bid" with the app for the remaining empty parking spaces. If your credit card transaction is cleared, the empty spot is now reserved for you, as long as you want . . . and pay.

      --
      Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
    2. Re:all will be Limited soon by gnick · · Score: 1

      They already have that.

      --
      He's getting rather old, but he's a good mouse.
  3. Information source? by manu0601 · · Score: 1

    I understand Google has some insights about parking availability, but where does it get this information from?

    1. Re: Information source? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Parkme? Inrix?

    2. Re:Information source? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I know Parkopedia is a very good resource to have. Perhaps Google is pulling from that.

    3. Re:Information source? by Cajun+Hell · · Score: 1

      Maybe by watching other Google Maps users drive around parking lots as they look for spots.

      --
      "Believe me!" -- Donald Trump
  4. Some places are impossible. by glitch! · · Score: 1

    I have seen places where it is impossible to park. Notably in San Francisco and New York City. It is NOT possible to park anywhere close to where you want to unload your cargo. That's the way it is. Deal with it.

    In SF for 1997 ISPCON, I paid to park in a garage and carried heavy boxes a long way to get to the hotel and convention center. There was NO POSSIBLE way I could have parked in front and just carried my gear in. Without losing my car... Or worse.

    --
    A dingo ate my sig...
    1. Re:Some places are impossible. by afgam28 · · Score: 2

      I'm not sure how long it's been since you last tried to park in San Francisco, but about 5 years ago the city started a program called "SFpark". Basically it's a system where parking meter prices are set dynamically, based on demand. I think the goal is to have the smart meters on each block set prices just high enough so that there is one free space on that block. There's an app that lets you check how much it costs to park in a given place, and there's a cap on the cost.

      So if you're parking in an SFpark area, it should virtually always be possible to find a spot, if you need it badly enough to pay the price (up to ~$6/hour).

      The land that a parking spot in SF occupies is worth more than the typical car that is parked on it. I imagine it's the same in New York. It's crazy that a society would give this away for free - we don't expect free cars, but for some reason many (most?) people feel entitled to free parking.

    2. Re:Some places are impossible. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What bizarre logic! Why not install meters on every spot on every road then? No private parking at your residence? Tough to be you...

      We already pay for the roads. The parking spaces should be included in that cost. Or would you rather just remove the roads and install mixed-use buildings with a residential / commercial corridor with creative synergies revitalizing the rustic downtown atmosphere with young professionals making their mark?

      Rock on.

    3. Re:Some places are impossible. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I never go to businesses where I have to pay to park the car.

      Anyways, I could never get into using my phone for a GPS, I use a dedicated GPS - TomTom. It doesn't use any mobile data and the interface doesn't suck- like google maps does.

    4. Re:Some places are impossible. by Ichijo · · Score: 1

      Why not install meters on every spot on every road then?

      Because the purpose is to keep a few open spaces on every block, and if a block always has open spaces, then the parking meters aren't necessary.

      --
      Any sufficiently unpopular but cohesive argument is indistinguishable from trolling.
    5. Re:Some places are impossible. by Ichijo · · Score: 2

      I never go to businesses where I have to pay to park the car.

      Those businesses thank you for making a parking space available for people who don't expect to get everything for free.

      --
      Any sufficiently unpopular but cohesive argument is indistinguishable from trolling.
    6. Re:Some places are impossible. by ruir · · Score: 1

      Just a word of caution for physical TomTom users -. I also used to have a physical Tomtom - quite simple. Tried Tomtom in iphone, it sucks big time, but I do sure love the Navigon interface.

    7. Re:Some places are impossible. by ruir · · Score: 1

      The comment is not off car...having alternatives where I do not pay, I prefer to use them *unless* I have some kind of incentive.
      I have too many shopping centers/malls with a 5/10 minutes drive from my house, too many to count without exaggerating. Obviously we choose the ones with better and free parks.
      Once in a while, we got to one where we pay for parking, but get two hours for free if we make there the shopping of groceries for the month.

    8. Re:Some places are impossible. by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      we don't expect free cars, but for some reason many (most?) people feel entitled to free parking.

      It's not free parking. Parking is part of the road, and roads are paid for with tax money. We already paid for that parking. Now that we've bought it, we have to lease it by the hour, too? I suppose you think all roads should be toll roads and your bank account is auto-charged for each one you drive on?

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    9. Re:Some places are impossible. by PvtVoid · · Score: 1, Informative

      I suppose you think all roads should be toll roads and your bank account is auto-charged for each one you drive on?

      Sounds like an awesome idea. It's not a new one, either. Private autos impose enormous external costs on society, amounting to a hefty subsidy for car ownership. There's no reason cars shouldn't pay their way in full.

    10. Re:Some places are impossible. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Is this a joke? I just feel confused.

    11. Re:Some places are impossible. by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Sounds like an awesome idea.

      In the presence of a working public transportation system that actually met the needs of inhabitants, it might be. But we have that in maybe one or two cities in the USA, and actually, if you took the cars away the systems couldn't handle the load. Toll roads are harmful to business and individuals alike. We make use of the road network free to enable commerce and free travel.

      I am an outspoken proponent of PRT and of ordinary rail for longer distances, but barring their existence, I'm extremely opposed to placing more restrictions on people's ability to travel. What year is it? Let's figure out how to let people travel efficiently.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    12. Re:Some places are impossible. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What bizarre logic! Why not install meters on every spot on every road then? No private parking at your residence? Tough to be you...

      Lots of places already do this with parking permits specifically to allow the people who live and work there to be able to park in areas with high demand. Otherwise, those without private parking would never be able to park near their homes. If you have 10x the number of cars trying to park on a road as you do spaces, things can get ugly fast. Raising the price is a simple way to reduce demand to manageable levels. Incidentally, it's also how you restrict parking to marked spaces in the first place - parking anywhere else will cost a lot more in tickets and towing fees.

    13. Re:Some places are impossible. by Ichijo · · Score: 1

      SFPark is like an auction for parking spaces. When there are more people who want to park than there are parking spaces (demand > supply), you simply raise the price until enough people decide to go elsewhere that everyone who remains gets a parking space (so demand = supply).

      And when you have fewer people who want to park there than there are parking spaces (demand < supply), you lower the price to make it more attractive and bring in customers to the nearby businesses (so demand = supply).

      But if that equilibrium price (the price where demand = supply) is always $0 then there's no point in putting in meters at all.

      For more information about the effect of price on demand, I recommend taking a beginning economics course at your local community college. Pay special attention when the topic is on the demand curve.

      --
      Any sufficiently unpopular but cohesive argument is indistinguishable from trolling.
    14. Re:Some places are impossible. by Coren22 · · Score: 1

      Is this SF's way of making sure that the poor are in shape?

      --
      APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
    15. Re:Some places are impossible. by Coren22 · · Score: 1

      Sure, let's just repeal the gas tax that already pays for that.

      --
      APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
    16. Re:Some places are impossible. by Ichijo · · Score: 1

      At only 50 cents an hour on certain blocks at certain times, San Francisco has some of the cheapest pay parking in the nation.

      --
      Any sufficiently unpopular but cohesive argument is indistinguishable from trolling.
    17. Re: Some places are impossible. by loufoque · · Score: 1

      I live in Europe.
      Most cities I know of have no free parking whatsoever in their centers. It's an intentional decision to discourage usage of cars within cities.

  5. "Valet Me" is here by art123 · · Score: 2

    This sounds like the Valet Me app from Amazon's short-lived Betas series. Don't you know that the more successful the app becomes, the less useful it is?!?

  6. How about an easier target by quietwalker · · Score: 1

    How about making sure directions are rational?

    Sure, it may ~technically~ be a shorter distance to cross the street, but when it can tell the average speed on both sides of the street is 2 mph, each side has 3 lanes plus 1 or 2 turn lanes, and I'm coming from a side street with no light, it should realize that I'm going to be sitting there for an hour until 6-8 good Samaritans show up at exactly the same time to let me across. ... or it could have added 8 seconds, had me take a right onto the crossroad at a light further up, a quick jaunt down the road, and a left across only 3 lanes from the turn!

    There's a bunch of common-sense updates people could be making in these things.

    1. Re:How about an easier target by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It actually already does this for me in some cases. Skynet just needs more time and active users in cars to track I guess. It will get "better" in time.

    2. Re:How about an easier target by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I find the same thing with the Waze app. It would sometimes suggest I take the side streets to save one minute so that I would come out of another side street onto a busy road, requiring about 5-10 minutes for the traffic lights from both directions to align before I can safely get out.

      Thanks Waze for picking that particular route when I am in a hurry!

    3. Re:How about an easier target by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Thanks Waze for picking that particular route when I am in a hurry!

      Umm... I suppose that you could manage your time a little better so that you don't have to be in a hurry?

  7. I would be happy with speed limits by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Still no speed limits in the largest city in Australia. I'll keep using my TomTom thanks.

    1. Re:I would be happy with speed limits by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The TomTom is way better than the google maps, I'll keep using mine too.

    2. Re: I would be happy with speed limits by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sad thing is that google maps has always been devleopled in Sydney... sad they can't even get their home town right ...

    3. Re:I would be happy with speed limits by ruir · · Score: 1

      Navigon is way better than Google Maps.

    4. Re:I would be happy with speed limits by ruir · · Score: 1

      Talking at the phone and writing...Navigon is way better than Google Maps AND Tomtom.

  8. The Goddess Asphalta beats Google anyday by Holi · · Score: 1

    She is the goddess of parking, and has provided me with rock star spots in San Francisco, New York, LA, San Diego, Boston, and Providence consistently to the amazement of my friends and acquaintances.

    and screw Karen Stock as we have been praying for parking since the 90's.

    --
    Sorry, teleporters just kill you and then make a copy. A perfect, soul-less copy.