Mobile phone parking lots near airports reduce congestion and improve security. Motorists can wait in designated lots and be called by arriving passengers. This practice has become necessary since cars are no longer allowed to park outside terminals. The lots are monitored by law enforcement agencies and provide flight information. The pilot program was launched in 2004 at 13 US airports.
The mobile phone parks, located within five minutes of the main airport terminals, are intended to reduce airport congestion. Motorists arriving at the airport for arriving passengers can go to one of the nearby car parks to wait. Once the arriving party reaches the terminal platform with luggage in hand, call the driver and the waiting motorist can be at the platform within minutes to quickly pick up the traveler and depart.
Since the attacks on New York’s World Trade Center in 2001, airport security has been a major concern. Cars are no longer allowed to park outside the terminals in loading bays, forcing motorists to repeatedly circle the area to await arriving groups. This causes congestion and slow traffic and encourages accidents.
In response, many people have turned to their cell phones to avoid the problem. At the Philadelphia airport, motorists began parking along an airport ramp awaiting calls from arriving passengers. Many were given tickets, and the illegal practice made it difficult to properly police the airport and adjacent areas. At other US airports, motorists used nearby hotel parking lots, gas stations, and convenience stores to wait for calls. Cell phone parking has become a virtual necessity.
Designated lots make it easier for law enforcement agencies to control and monitor areas surrounding airports. Plus, airport traffic moves smoother, faster and more efficiently, as people approaching the terminals already know their party is waiting. Motorists are able to get in and out quickly and easily, whether leaving parts or picking them up. Some cell phone lots even provide a large screen arrivals board with flight times, delays and landings. Motorists must remain in their cars, and some lots impose a one-hour time limit.
Cell phone parking has been in use since 2004. The pilot program was launched at 13 airports, including Los Angeles International Airport, Seattle-Tacoma Airport, Houston Airport and Philadelphia Airport . People can find out if their local airport has one and where it is by calling the airport information line or checking online. Airports that don’t have available space nearby may not have a designated lot.
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