The City of Phoenix designed a new parking app to improve ease of access for drivers and ASU students on the Downtown Phoenix campus.
ParkPHX, the new web-based parking app, was presented during a City of Phoenix Economic Development and Housing Subcommittee meeting on Feb. 12. The app would allow residents, students and tourists alike to find parking more easily in downtown Phoenix.
The web app would enable users to see the costs of parking and where they can park directly through the system without the need for a third party.
"We really believe that this is where the pinnacle of the public experience comes in," said April Truncellito, deputy director of Phoenix Convention Center, at a city council meeting. "This makes it much easier for those folks coming into downtown to plan ahead."
Previously, there had been no app managed by the City of Phoenix for parking. Most parking is managed by third parties, such as the Atlanta-based company ParkMobile or Ace Parking.
ParkPHX will act like an app but will be web-based, and users will be able to access it through the browser on their phone or save it to their homepage.
It is meant to be easy for both citizens who will use it every day and people who come from out of town and will only use it once, Truncellito said.
ParkPHX will map out city-owned and private-owned lots and garages and will include information about electric vehicle charging.
The app is in the Downtown Phoenix Parking Master Plan to rebrand parking, which consists of contactless payment, redefined parking zones, improved signage and brand recognition, dynamic curbs and updated rates for out-of-service meter fees.
QR codes would be installed on parking meters as part of the effort to allow for contactless payment. However, Councilman Kevin Robinson raised concerns over security with the new system during the meeting.
"The latest scam is coming up with your own QR code and placing it over and they said the place to do it is parking lots," Robinson said during the city council meeting. "The minute that is done, obviously the perpetrator has your information that they need."
Christine Mackay, the Phoenix Community and Economic Development Director, said the city is working with the police to ensure safety in the community.
Many of the residents in downtown Phoenix are ASU students who live on campus or commute regularly. The creators of ParkPHX kept students in mind when designing the app, said Jeff Stapleton, representative of the Community and Economic Development Department.
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According to Stapleton, ASU a part of the stakeholder group that was briefed on the master plan recommendations about downtown Phoenix parking.
Some students have parking passes that allow them to park in an ASU facility, but some students only have short-term parking needs, Stapleton said. The web app will allow for better management of the street parking system.
"Making an app that works for the whole city's parking is a good idea," said AJ Ceglia, a junior studying journalism and mass communication. "If Phoenix is a growing city that wants to contend with other major cities, then they're gonna need to start to consolidate and to make a lot of features of the city easier, such as parking."
With the app, drivers will still have the option to pay with coins or with card readers installed at meters.
"A lot of the card readers don't work some of the time or when you put your card in, it doesn't always turn green if it's paid," said Ash Uss, a graduate student studying social work. "I've gotten a ticket in the past because I genuinely didn't know that it can take my card."
The new parking app is currently available and allows community members to save preferred parking and find places to pay with Apple Pay.
"We found that this was kind of the best of both worlds," Truncellito said. "Those who are at home on a computer, they can still access and see and experience the same thing that those who may be doing it on a tablet or on their phone would experience."
Edited by Senna James, Sophia Ramirez and Natalia Jarrett.
Reach the reporter at cgreenw9@asu.edu
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Connor is a junior studying journalism and mass communication. This is his second semester with The State Press.
