Parking in Venice: There’s an App for That

Residents and visitors circling block after block looking for a parking spot near Venice Beach can now search for nearby available spaces on their smart phones.

About 200 sensors have been installed throughout Venice, mostly on Washington Boulevard, Windward Avenue and Venice Boulevard that will alert drivers through the app “Parker” of open spaces nearby.

“I’m thrilled to have been able to work on this technology and bring it to Venice,” L.A. City Councilman Bill Rosendahl said.

The assisted GPS parking features have been available for downtown L.A. and Hollywood, and now include Venice.

The app will show people how many spots are available on a particular street, how much the meter costs as well as parking regulations, such as time limits. 

“Studies have shown that 30 percent of traffic is caused by people circling around looking for parking,” said Mike Bonin, Rosendahl’s chief of staff and city council candidate in the upcoming March election.

And officials hope the app will alleviate some of that congestion in Venice. Parker features voice-assisted directions to nearby spaces while on the road, in addition to the typical touch-based map functions.

The Parker app is available for the iPhone and Android.