New App Seeks To Take Stress Out Of Searching For Parking Spaces

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Almost every driver can relate to the frustration of finding a parking spot, but a new app seeks to ease some of the stress.

But as CBS2's Jessica Schneider reported, some wondered whether it would help or only create parking wars.

Sebastian Jones would like some parking relief. He had to circle one block 10 times before finding a space.

But those days of circling the block for a spot may be over. The free parking app Parkarr launched last month, and it puts parking on par with an exact science.

"It connects people that are looking for spots with those leaving their spots," said Parkarr founder Robyn Gerber.

Gerber, 32, got the inspiration from her father's quirky parking habits in Tudor City.

"He puts a piece of paper on his car, and he'll put a frowning face if he's not leaving that day and a smiley face if he is leaving that day. And people actually know to look out for his car," she said. "So I thought, there's got to be an app for this!"

So rather than waiting for a parking space that you know is rare, you can find it on your phone. Parkarr will show you within a 20-block radius whether a sport is open or not.

Turquoise dots on the app show which drivers are waiting to leave.

No car information is exchanged until both drivers accept, and the app works on an honor system.

"As you pull into a spot, the person pulling in has to say if it was successful or not," Gerber said.

So far, 1,000 people have signed up for the app. But Robert Sinclair of AAA wondered if problems might arise if Parkarr becomes a parking phenomenon.

"If different people are getting information that a parking space is becoming available, might they all descend on the same spot at the same time? Then you create more problems than you had before," Sinclair said.

But some said such a risk could be worth taking a chance on for finding a parking space.