A pilot scheme designed to reduce the number of thefts of cash from pay-and-display parking machines is to start on Monday (22 June).
A number of roads around the Addiscombe and Park Hill area will see all but one machine in each road covered and made unavailable for use as, in addition to preventing theft, the council strives to make parking easier and more efficient with its cashless payment system.
Introduced last September, RingGo enables motorists to pay for their parking with a credit or debit card, rather than using cash, at a ticket machine. They need simply park their car, contact RingGo by smartphone app, telephone, SMS or online, and pay the parking charge via their phone.
The pilot scheme covers 15 roads: Leslie Park Road, Lebanon Road, Addiscombe Court Road, Tunstall Road, Park Hill Rise, Park Hill Road, Oval Road, Cedar Road, Chisholm Road, Bisenden Road, Brickwood Road, Blake Road, Colson Road, Leslie Grove, Alpha Road.
Bagged machines will have instructions for customers to advise that they should either use cashless parking or go to the nearest pay-and-display machine indicated by a map.
Councillor Kathy Bee, cabinet member for transport and environment
“The aim of the pilot is to reduce the number of pay-and-display machines on the borough’s streets and, in so doing, reduce the incidence of damage and thefts, which are inconvenient to motorists and costly for the council.
“Theft from pay-and-display machines has been an ongoing problem over the past year or so, and this pilot will help address that issue by reducing the amount of cash held in the machines.
“The thefts invariably result in damage to the machines, sometimes quite severe. In turn, that leaves the council having, in some cases, to pay compensation to those who have lost their money, and having to pay for the repairs to the machines.
“We’re keen to encourage wider use of our cashless parking system, which makes the paying for parking very easy. After initial registration, the motorist can quickly and simply use their phone and not have to worry about having the right change in their pocket to feed a pay-and-display machine.”
Motorists can pre-register with RingGo online here or by using the smartphone apps, downloadable either through handsets or from the relevant store.
