Two Apps Available to Make Parking Easier

Finding a parking spot in the North End could get a bit easier now that a company called Haystack has launched a mobile app that lets Apple iOS and Android users buy and sell street parking spaces in real time.

The system offers new hope for motorist looking for hard to find parking on city streets.

Users are able to connect with neighbors looking for a space or searching for one.

Reportedly,  space buyers are charged $3.00, with $2.25 going to the seller and  $.75 going to Haystack.

Haystack founder Eric Meyer claims the app will reduce emission and traffic congestion and users will spend less time searching for those coveted spaces.

“It’s a solution that is going to help neighbors help neighbors,” he said in an interview with media outlets.

However, it appears that the City of Boston is apparently not happy about the profit for business using public spaces.

A city spokesperson noted that these are publicly owned spaces and cannot be privately sold.

A few weeks ago, North End resident Alex Shvartz came up with an idea to make community street parking easier at no cost.

Alex has apparently developed a mobile application (Android-iPhone) that shows a map with street parking information that includes street cleaning dates, remembers where vehicles are parked and indicates empty spots.

Alex is currently promoting his idea around the neighborhood and the business community.