Calgarian Mike Losowy has griped for decades about cars parking without a permit in front of his Bridgeland home.

Nearby restaurants and a grocery store often draw out-of-area vehicle traffic and some downtown commuters even leave their vehicles in the neighbourhood and ride the bus into the core.

“It’s crazy,” he said. “You leave for a minute and your parking’s gone.”

Hoping to boost enforcement in areas like Losowy’s, the Calgary Parking Authority plans to a pilot a new, automated parking program they say will also come with customer perks.

Known as Autochalk, the system features on-board cameras that automatically register license plates in a given area.

A similar practice is used in areas with the ParkPlus system, but currently much residential enforcement is left to old-age practices, like writing tickets by hand and using chalk marks on tires to determine how long a vehicle has been parked.

“If you lived in the areas, we would register your license plate and you won’t get ticketed,” said authority head Troy McLeod. “We are developing a system where you could also log on if you have a buddy over and vouch for their vehicle.”

McLeod said parking permits would be abolished under the new system and residents could also apply for special mass-parking exemptions from time to time if they planned to host parties or other social events.

Losowy, meanwhile, hopes speedier enforcement will send a message to illegal parkers to stay off his street.

“I think it’s a really great idea,” he said.