The art of slowly circling blocks in concentric circles looking for parking in a mad dance of desperation is dying.

Photo by PoPville flickr user fromcaliw/love

And I’m OK with that though many will never know the joy of landing the spot. That feeling is indescribable. Like a perfect parallel parking job. I digress.

From DDOT:

“The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) today announced the release of an updated version of its parkDC mobile app. Version 2.0 of the app lets users identify, and navigate to, on-street and off-parking throughout the District of Columbia, with the option of searching for parking spaces by price and/or time period filters.

Developed by DDOT, the parkDC app was released in December 2016 to help reduce the time needed to find parking, improve turnover of high-demand spaces, provide better parking information and reduce congestion. The first version of the app provided real-time parking availability and rate information for the Penn Quarter and Chinatown neighborhoods, in the area bounded by H Street, 3rd Street, E Street and 11th Street NW. This zone is the location of DDOT’s demand-based pricing pilot program that uses meter rate adjustments to improve parking availability.

New Features

The updated version of the parkDC app expands the scope of the application by allowing users to search for on-street and off-street parking throughout the District. The app also includes filters that enable searches for on-street parking spaces by price per hour and/or time period and helps improve mobility by allowing users to filter and search for Red Top Parking Meters (on-street parking spaces reserved for people with disabilities).

To download parkDC, please visit iTunes or Google Play.

Please note that the District’s Distracted Driving Safety Act expressly prohibits the use of a mobile phone while operating a moving motor vehicle, unless the device is equipped with a hands-free accessory. The penalty for violation is $100. DDOT suggests accessing apps before a trip begins, or enlisting a passenger’s help.”