BLOOMINGTON, Minn. - The days of circling the Mall of America searching for a parking spot could be numbered.
The mall has unveiled a new parking system, just in time for the busy, holiday shopping season.
Mall of America officials say a new parking guidance system has been installed in two primary parking ramps, along with surface parking areas. The system allows visitors to see how many parking spots are taken, out of the available spots in the ramp on a digital screen board that's updating in real-time.
Green lights also illuminate if there are open spaces, where red lights will show that space is occupied.
Digital directional signage then guides drivers to the nearest available spot.
Motorists can also access this information on a computer or mobile device before leaving home.
Mall officials say they hope this will alleviate some headaches for the more than 40 million annual visitors.
Similar technology, created by Park Assist, has been used in other parts of the U.S. and the world. However, the Mall of America says it is the first facility in the country to use Park Assist's "S-1" system for outdoor surface parking lots.
"Once I noticed what they were," mallgoer Monica Evans said, "I thought they were pretty cool."
On Twitter, the reactions were predictably entertaining, ranging from "Brilliant!" to "Green means go!" Another Twitter user reported some growing pains — with some available spots being marked red and taken spots being marked green — even though overall she felt it was a cool concept. And others pointed out that they've seen the color-coded technology in other places, even as far away as a mall in Guatemala.
The S-1 system at Mall of America cost $3.4 million, according to an overview on the city of Bloomington's website. The Bloomington Port Authority funded the project through its budget using Mall of America tax increment financing. The city did not pay for any of the project, according to the overview.
However, the city does have access to the S-1 system cameras, which can help them review data and trends over time.