A new Wi-Fi system which was rolled out across six parks in Los Angeles will help attract new people to the city’s green spaces, according to the American Park Network’s editor.
Commenting on this week’s development, Mark Saferstein said the new system has been paid for entirely by sponsoring firm Toyota and should help to boost visitor numbers in the coming years.
The service has been given the name ‘Oh Ranger! Wi-Fi’ and was officially launched on Thursday, after a testing phase which lasted around one month.
The areas to benefit from its introduction are Cabrillo Beach, Pershing Square, Venice Beach, Griffith Observatory, Echo Park Lake and Reseda Park, sacbee.com reports. Park-goers will have access to the connections from various designated areas around each site.
Mr Saferstein warned that the Wi-Fi speeds on offer will vary from park to park, but added that all services will be quick enough for users to check their emails and access social media. Streaming movies, however, is out of the question.
He said: “It’s a way to get families who might not go to a park to go there and share with their friends on social media.”
According to latimes.com, plans are also in place to launch a similar program in New York. Furthermore, success with the LA scheme could see it extended to include more parks around the city.
