Parking Assist Lights

Just got back from The King's Speech -- a sublime film if you haven't seen it yet.   Capital  performances by Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush, as the Brits might say.  The experience was enhanced by a delightfully foamy white cherry icee that tickled the throat like a calm winter's day.  I also couldn't help but get excited over the trailer for Jane Eyre.

On our way into the theater, we noticed these red and green lights lining the parking structure:

As it turns out, they are "parking assist" lights, and the green light indicates an open parking spot.

This was my first encounter with these lights.  While rather convenient, I can't help but wonder how necessary they are?  Admittedly, it does save some time from aimlessly wandering up and down the rows in search of an empty spot.  But is it really worth it -- the installation and the cost of upkeep?  Do we really need lights to tell us where to find an empty spot when we could really just look ourselves (the old fashioned way)?  Am I going to have to one day tell my grandchildren that "when I was your age, we had to find parking spots with nothing but our naked eye!"  *Gasp*  Either way, I enjoyed the sense of novelty that it lent to the day.

oo,