Smart parking scheme to ease congestion in center

A new electronic system designed to facilitate parking in central Athens and heralded on Tuesday by Mayor Giorgos Kaminis is to start operating in the next few months.

Kaminis described the scheme as a “useful tool which among other things will ease traffic congestion on streets and reduce air pollution.”

The system is to comprise some 1,000 smart parking sensors informing motorists about the location of available parking spots by means of a cellphone application. Motorists will be able to pay for their parking on the cellphone app My Athens Pass.

The first phase of the program will see the installment of sensors in Evangelismos and Kolonaki with commercial streets next in line for inclusion.

Apart from reducing the time spent by motorists seeking parking, the scheme will also give the municipal police a better overview of illegal parking as all data will be submitted into a central online platform, Kaminis said.