You’ve heard of smart cars — cars that are packed with sensors and computers and cameras to make driving easier — and now, rolling out in San Francisco, is a smart parking system that promises to almost eliminate the arduous process of finding a parking spot.

SFpark is a network of magnetic sensors (pictured below) that have been installed under 8,200 street parking spaces, along with additional information from parking garages and parking meters. These sensors are all linked together in a mesh network, and ultimately link back to a central command center. Drivers can access this parking data via the SFpark website or smartphone app, and see in real-time where parking spaces are available.

According to Technology Review, as many as a third of cars on the road in urban areas are circling the block to find a parking spot. This obviously slows down other cars on the road, leads to huge amounts of unnecessary pollution, and more accidents. “Circling drivers are distracted drivers,” says Jay Primus, who manages SFpark. “They’re much more likely to hit pedestrians, bicyclists, and other cars, and as they search for parking spots, making frequent turns and making frequent stops, they can cause unpredictable delays to the transit system.”

Sensor-based smart parking systems, then, could herald a huge advance for car-based transportation systems. Over in Los Angeles, which is also building a smart parking system, researchers found that a single neighborhood of 15 blocks clocked up an additional 350,000 miles every year by spending three minutes looking for a parking spot. The problem in LA is different from San Francisco: In LA, there are plenty of spare spaces, but because of sprawl and the size of the blocks, there’s a risk of having to drive a long distance to find a spot. These sensor networks will allow you to push a button on your smartphone and be directed to the closest spot.

Of course, smart parking systems are also a boon for the police: They can tell exactly how long a car has been in a spot, and thus warn parking officers if a car needs a ticket. On the flip side, though, smartphone apps could allow you to add time to the meter while you’re still in the office. Also working in favor of the consumer, smart parking systems can allow for a range of prices, depending on the desirability of a parking spot.