San Francisco is filled with cars buzzing around the streets. Thus, the city requires a lot of parking space for these vehicles to prevent drivers from blocking the lanes. There are online tools that may be used to find nearby parking system San Francisco around the city. These contain valuable information that drivers can use to decide where they should go for a better experience. Some of these require reservation while others allow anyone to go inside. Most are for short-term parking but a few will allow longer terms such as monthly contracts. Use the tools to view the following real-time data:

Occupancy Rate

You will know exactly how full these places are. This will be expressed in percentage rather than actual slots. This should make it easier to skip those which are already full rather than taking a chance and getting frustrated with the lack of space. You will not have to waste your line waiting in line for hours. You can find the best alternatives at any given time. This might lead you to discover other parking spaces that you never considered before. This is possible thanks to sensors installed in each space which can tell occupancy status and send info to a central database.

Clearance

The tool will also provide information about the parking spaces such as vertical clearance. This is important because some vehicles are quite tall. Some garages can only allow cars that are under 7 feet because they tend to stack levels close together to maximize the number of cars they can hold. If you have a tall van or SUV, then you will not be able to fit inside. It’s best to know about these things prior to getting in line so you don’t waste precious minutes only to be turned away.

Covered Parking

Another thing that you should consider is covered parking. Some places can only provide open areas for cars to stay on. These will not have any roofing that can shield against the sun, rain, or snow. This might be fine in the summer but it could be a problem in the rainy season. You could have a hard time going back to your vehicle in such a setting, especially if the wind is strong. It might be worth paying extra for covered parking.

Always use parking system San Francisco online tools to plan ahead and look for the best places to leave your car.