The apps helping Shanghai tackle its chronic car park shortage
- Smart technology is matching drivers with free spaces in some of the city’s most congested areas
The Chinese megacity of Shanghai is using big data and online technology to ease parking nightmares in some of its most crowded areas.
In a city where cars outnumber parking spaces six to one, municipal authorities and residential communities are deploying mobile apps to alert motorists to free spaces, according to People’s Daily.
There are about 100 official car park-sharing projects in Shanghai, including a citywide app operated by the municipal government.
The scheme was making a big difference in Yangpu district, a densely populated area home to one of Shanghai’s busiest hospitals, the newspaper reported on Tuesday.
The system integrates parking information at Fudan University’s Obstetrics and Gynaecology Hospital with data on available spaces at residential communities, shopping malls and office buildings nearby, directing motorists to free spots in an area known for an acute shortage of parking spaces, the report said, quoting traffic officials.
Launched a year ago, it advises drivers on routes and allows them to book bays on the app before they get there. Hospital visitors can use car spaces in residential communities during the day and residents can park their vehicles at the hospital, malls and office buildings near their homes at night.