nathaniel ford is the director of the transportation authority. prior to joining the municipal authority. he served for the atlantic authority for 5 years. he started as a train conductor in the new york city transit system. let's give it up for director ford. jim dierck is a principle, but not only a principle and an educator. he is someone who designd and developed innovative concepts where there was an incident that involved safety. for the work he was recognized at the national principle of the year. and he is somebody who is on the ground and has worked to empower young people at his school. he took his school from a different circumstances to be one of the highest performs school districts in the state. jim dierck. margaret brodkin is the director of the department for children youth and families. i emphasize that because it is one of the most critical agencies in the city and county. margaret was a former director the colman advocates who is responsible for many of the children and families here in san francisco much he served as director.

nathaniel ford of the sfmta board of directors worked hard to convince many doubters. i think the smartest thing that the sfmta did was to trust its talented staff to take the lead in making this project happen. the people who were working on s.f. park are the smartest and most talented and most overworked civil servants i have ever met. so if s.f. park is a success, it will be in large part due to the heroic determination to make it work here. the central idea of s.f. park is that you can't set the right price for curb parking without looking at the results. the goal is to set the lowest price that the city can charge and still have one or two open spaces on every block so that cars won't have to circle cruising for parking like hawks hunting for prey. s.f. park sets a clear principle for setting the prices for curb parking. the lowest price the city can charge without creating a shortage. so the right price for curb parking in san francisco is rather like the supreme court's definition of pornography. i know it when i see it. and because san francisco set this policy

. >> reporter: nathaniel ford runs the city's transportation agency.lion project entirely federally funded is about trying to ease congestion. >> that helps us speed up our transit system, helps us with greenhouse emissions in terms of automobiles circling around. >> reporter: the app has been downloaded more than 12,000 times. but there's real concern about whether or not it's creating another problem. california has a no texting law while behind the wheel. and driving while using the app surely doesn't seem safe. >> we do not encourage people, and it's not necessary, to constantly look down at your device looking for a parking spot. >> reporter: still considered a pilot project, the city installed sensors in 7,000 of the city's 24,000 metered parking spaces. and 12,000 more in city-owned garages. if it works, look for it to expand here and in other big cities. but you wonder whether or not there will be public service campaigns to tell people not to use the app and drive. in any event, it's estimated in this city alone, people circling around a block

. >> reporter: nathaniel ford runs the city's transportation system, and he says that the sp$20 millionfunded project is efficient. >> reporter: the app has been downlo downloaded 10 million times, and driving behind the wheel is not safe to use the app while driving. >> we do not encourage people to constantly look down at the device looking for a parking spot. >> reporter: still consider eed pilot project, the city installed a sensor in 20,000 of the city's parking spaces and 20,000 more in the city's garages. if it work, look for it to expand here and other big cities. well, it is estimated near san francisco that people circling around for a parking spot accounts for 30% of the congestion here in the city, so officials are hoping that technology can provide a solution. randi? >> so, dan, where else might we see it soon? you mentioned it might be heading to other cities. >> well, right now, san francisco, it is a pilot project here, and they have the most vast system, if you will, but ft. worth, texas, and north hollywood are experimenting with the technology to a limited degree, and