About ParkAlly

The problem

Drivers waste time and money trying to find parking and interpreting inconsistent rules. Most apps optimize for paid parking or navigation. ParkAlly takes a different approach: help you discover legal free parking, understand tradeoffs between free and paid options, and avoid tickets from time-limit overstay.

Our approach

ParkAlly is built around a few core principles:

• Minutes, not meters — walking time is the default distance metaphor
• Free-first — visual hierarchy favors free and time-limited options when filters allow
• No forced login — guest mode is first-class, not a degraded experience
• Clarity under pressure — calm, direct guidance when you're stressed about parking

Built for Ottawa

ParkAlly uses City of Ottawa open data for paid meters and municipal parking zones, with Google Maps for places, directions, and map display. We're starting in Ottawa because that's where the data and the need are clearest — with plans to expand as datasets improve.

A known gap: there is no centralized dataset for time-limited free street parking rules (e.g. "P 2 HRS 7AM–7PM MON–SAT"). ParkAlly is designed to grow into that space over time.

Who it's for

Guest users can search, filter, view details, queue spots, and run session timers without creating an account. Registered users get favorites, parking history, a persistent queue across sessions, and push notifications for timer warnings.