No parking now. Easier parking later?

Parking has been banned on Fillmore this week as sensors are installed on the pavement.

Initial reports said parking was being banned on long stretches of Fillmore this week because a movie was being filmed starring Brad Pitt — or maybe it was Matt Damon. But it turns out something even bigger is in the works: easier parking.

Or so they promise.

City crews are installing sensors on the pavement at every parking meter and some nearby parking spaces. It’s part of an ambitious traffic management program designed to electronically signal drivers to available spots — with new meters that accept credit cards.

Already installed on the street lights are transmitters that will send transit officials data from the sensors and new meters on Fillmore and side streets from Jackson to McAllister. New meters will be installed in the spring, and the system is expected to be operating later in the year. Parking rates will go up in congested areas — like Fillmore Street.

Fillmore is one of several areas included in the pilot project, which has the ambitious title: “SFpark: circle less, live more.”