A warning to Sea-Tac Airport drivers: Don’t park on the shoulder or tech will soon get you

The Port of Seattle is considering using technology to get drivers headed to the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac) to stop parking on road shoulders.

It’s been a continuing problem even though a cell phone parking lot is less than a mile from the terminal. Many complain the lot is highly congested or filled despite having 180 spaces.

Airport officials have said the issue is that parking on the shoulder is dangerous and puts people’s safety at risk. It is also illegal and there are signs that remind you of that.

My Northwest News: Seattle mayor’s plan to double housing capacity sparks debate, concern among city council

According to reports, the airport is considering technology that would read the license plates of drivers on the shoulders. The Port may soon use an automated license plate reader (APLR) that Seattle Police currently use for its fleet of cars.

Perry Cooper of the Port told MyNorthwest in an email, “We’ll let everyone know when we do.”

Technology: Meta replaces fact-checking with X-style community notes

Reddit users summarized the debate:

“What are people’s problem? The cell phone lot is so easy to use,” one said.

“Just last year I went to the cell phone lot and immediately got stuck. I was trapped for an entire hour … never again. Eventually, a cop had to come and man the light just to get people out effectively,” said another.

The Seattle City Council approved the expansion of the technology last year.

Currently, it is a $50 ticket if you are found to be parking on the shoulder of the airport expressway.

Bill Kaczaraba is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read his stories here. Follow Bill on X, formerly known as Twitter, here and email him here.