In January 2022 we launched Spotiz. This application allows you to do two things: reserve a parking space as a driver, and rent your space as an owner in exchange for a fee.
Based on a collaborative vision of the economy, Spotiz indirectly tackles a recurrent social problem: traffic congestion.
Traffic congestion has significant negative effects on all citizens. Why is this so? How does it work? How does the Spotiz application contribute to solving this problem? Here are some answers.
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I) The economic and environmental consequences of road traffic congestion
The congestion
is the result of urbanization and mobility centered around the private car. Western Europe experienced a forced urbanization between the 1950s and the 1970s. This phenomenon forced governments and local authorities to adapt their approach to urban planning. A strong choice was made: to build suburban housing areas outside the cities, and to concentrate workplaces inside the city centers. The objective was twofold: on the one hand, to multiply the wealth produced by urban centers by concentrating high added value activities there. On the other hand, to offer the underprivileged populations in full social ascension the possibility to reach the grail of real estate ownership. The myth of the successful family with a house, garden and car was thus created.
The obvious consequence of this separation of work and home? The significant increase in commuting time within the urban areas. Agglomerations have gradually expanded under the weight of road and highway construction. To avoid excessive congestion, residents have been forced to change their departure times, leaving home earlier and earlier. This increase in travel time and need for flexibility has increased workers’ dependence on private cars.
Congestion has adverse effects on the health of both drivers and residents. For example, stress and the risk of accidents have increased dramatically as a result of congestion. Indeed, studies have shown that tolerance to travel time is roughly the same depending on your age, your city or your means of transportation. These studies are sometimes summarized under the name of a law called Marchetti’s Constant. Marchetti’s Constant explains that the average human being tolerates 1 hour of travel per day. Beyond that, perceptions of stress, fatigue and loss of concentration increase sharply. In addition, congestion contributes strongly to air pollution. This element is aggravated in the presence of a car fleet composed mainly of diesel vehicles (as is the case for the French fleet) because these vehicles emit nanoparticles which increase the risks of cancer, stroke or heart attack.
Indeed, congestion has negative ecological effects through the unwanted emission of greenhouse gases.
How to limit congestion? What practices should be put in place to tackle this societal problem? Spotiz provides part of the answers thanks to a digital solution, based on collaboration between users, which tackles the downstream part of urban traffic congestion: the search for parking spaces.
II) Spotiz, part of the solutions to improve traffic flow in the city
Spotiz
is a mobile application that allows drivers to easily find a parking space in the city. Parking space owners provide parking spaces for a fee. Why this solution? Because 30% of vehicles in the city center are looking for parking spaces. Spotiz reduces this time thanks to the community of its parking space owners and drivers, without any additional development costs for local authorities.
This offer is compatible with all vehicles (two-wheelers, electric cars, thermal vehicles).
Spotiz offers spaces in public spots as well as in private parking lots, for individuals as well as professionals.
Finally, Spotiz advocates a philosophy of collaboration between users, aligning the selfishness of particular interests with the public interest without the intervention of a centralized authority or additional costs for the public community.
Yes, traffic congestion is one of the evils of the century. However, there is no need to despair. Let’s value initiatives that seek to stem the tide. By tackling downstream congestion (the search for places), Spotiz provides an intuitive solution that values collaboration and the collective intelligence of users.
So don’t wait any longer, download Spotiz!
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