something like that in the BWI Airport garage. There are sensors mounted above each spot with a red and green LED on the bottom. If there is a substantial metallic presence detected below the sensor, the red LED shows; if no large metal object, the green one is lit. The main alleyways in the middle of the garage have little boxes on the ceiling by each side aisle showing a green LED if there is at least one empty space in that aisle, red if all are full. You can look down the main aisle and see immediately if there are any available spots in that section, drive down to a green LED and look down the side aisle and find the green LED on the ceiling over the empty spot. If all are taken on a particular level, a sign on the entrance ramp will tell you to go up or down to the next level. Sure beats driving up and down every aisle for hours looking for non-existent parking spots. Of course, there are still fist fights when two people see the green light and come careening in from opposite directions...
dw
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General discussion
Help for absent minded drivers
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4 Posts
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Hi, Del.
This system assumes the absent-minded driver remembers the plate number...
-- Dave K.
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The opinions expressed above are my own,
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Can you imagine the outcry from the privacy advocates if a system like this were used in the US? After all, it would be possible to contruct a database showing license plates along with dates that the car was parked in the lot.
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just records of where they parked will be superflourous. I wonder how long before all the cars will have black boxes with undetectible downloads as you pass a reception point? just like the toll radio systems so you don't have to stop. Pretty soon, you'll drive by a detector, and the next week will get tickets for every violation since the last download.
Just like the rental agencies that started using GPS trackers to track rentals, then when turned in added a surcharge because the car was taken out of the contracted (in small print I'm sure) specified area of operations. Or surcharges to drivers whose GPS coordiates and times proved they were speeding. Both of these type occurances were reported on the news a few years ago.
Not that the car rental agencies necessarily don't have the right, but the constumer should have been informed he would be tracked. Afterall, agreeing to pay daily and milage fees doesn't translate in most of our minds to being followed to see what towns we visit or even what street addresses we parked at.
Big brother is here, the only question is do we keep him sedated or wake him up.
roger
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