UPDATE: 

On Tuesday night, new parking app Haystack will be officially introduced to the Boston public. Hailed as revolutionary parking technology that aims to curtail the time, energy and sheer frustration associated with trying to find street parking in a city with a striking lack of street spaces, Haystack will be debuted by CEO Eric Meyer at the Liberty Hotel.

In essence, Haystack is a social network that allows people who are parked in a street space to let other users know when they’re leaving, so that the drivers circling the block innumerable times can reserve the soon-to-be vacant space for a cool $3. If you’ve never tried to find parking in Boston, surely this sounds like a godsend.

“Haystack is a free, efficient smart parking system that we created to empower drivers to alert each other to street spots about to become available in real time, saving neighbors time and reducing the city’s emissions and traffic congestion from circling drivers,” said Eric Meyer, Founder and CEO of Haystack Mobile Technologies in a statement. “Drivers in need of a space are seamlessly matched with nearby neighbors and are able to secure their parking spots. It’s that simple.”

Initially launched successfully in Baltimore, Meyer and his team zeroed in on Boston due to its infamous, cringe-worthy parking scene. Don’t want to pay to put your car in a garage? Good luck finding an alternative. See you in a couple hours.

Further details about the app’s technology will be revealed at the Liberty Hotel launch.

As simplistic and effective as Haystack sounds, City Hall is a bit more skeptical. Despite Mayor Marty Walsh’s apparent commitment to innovation and next-generation technologies, he and his administration argue that the app will further widen a socioeconomic gap – people without smartphones and/or the app will not have a fair shot at finding parking – and allow for the opportunity for people to undeservingly line their pockets, despite the fact that parking spaces are public property.

The possibility for space scalpers is also a notion that has not been lost on Boston residents.

“Services like Haystack, however, artificially inflate the cost of parking and allow individuals to profit from public space,” Kate Norton, spokesperson for Mayor Walsh, told BostInno in an email last week. “Neither of these activities are in line with the City’s effort to keep parking as open and publicly accessible as possible. These spaces are publicly owned, and cannot be privately sold.”

Representatives from Haystack, though, have told BostInno that Haystack brass has engaged in positive conversations with city officials which are ongoing.

But whether or not City Hall jumps on the Haystack bandwagon, a solution to parking in Boston is a breath of fresh air. Like how ride-sharing companies like Uber have become popular with users as an alternative to the city’s antiquated taxi industry and accompanying regulations despite facing some backlash from city officials, Haystack innovates where demand for change is proliferating.

As part of the launch, every Bostonian who registers for Haystack will be entered to win a new FIAT 500. Haystackers will also receive an additional entry every time they offer a spot on Haystack. The winner will be selected at random and announced next week.

Have any thoughts on the pros and cons of Haystack? Share them with the world in the comments section below.

To the chagrin of Mayor Marty Walsh's administration.
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