With an eye toward supporting local technology entrepreneurs and helping both community members and public agencies become more efficient, the City of Woodland partnered with Woodland’s own Japa, Inc. (“Just A Parking App”) on a new downtown smart parking system. The Woodland-based startup connects drivers with innovative real-time parking information and solutions.
The City recognizes the strategic need to support homegrown innovators like the team at Japa, Inc. and is proud to help them grow and refine their service. “Parking is a tough problem, and it is a problem that is common for cities across the world,” says Japa CEO Mathew Magno. “Municipalities face the challenge of keeping their residents happy while also providing an easy experience for visitors. We are here to solve those problems.” The Japa app allows users to “park smart” by seeing which parking spots are available in select areas downtown and notifying them when their time is going to expire. The Woodland program will involve the public parking spaces on Main Street between Third and College; First Street between Main and Court; and within the public parking lot across from City Hall and bordering Dead Cat Alley. Japa’s parking sensors -- the circular black markers in the center of many downtown parking spots -- will allow the City to test the accuracy of these sensors and the Japa app’s ability to inform drivers of the real-time availability of parking in these areas.
Japa’s hardware and software program also provides data that will help the City deploy resources more efficiently as it monitors and learns from downtown parking trends. The data from the parking space sensors will help departments from economic development to traffic enforcement understand parking patterns and provide better customer service to Woodlanders.
In addition, the app makes eating locally and shopping small in Downtown Woodland even easier. Residents can check the app before they head downtown to see where they should park and avoid circling, which burns gasoline and time. The City’s partnership with Japa represents another way in which the City aims to support economic development and downtown businesses as we continue to fight through an unpredictable time. In addition, it helps further the City and Japa’s mutual goal of more sustainable and efficient local transit options.
The City of Woodland and Japa welcome your feedback as they continue to refine this service to meet the needs of all Woodlanders. Comments, suggestions, or questions can be directed to (877) 775-5272 or contact@japa.one.
You can find the app by searching “Japa Smart Parking” in your app store or by scanning the QR code posted on poles throughout the downtown area. Learn more about the app at parkjapa.com.