More than 20 UK councils to ditch pay-and-display parking for apps
More than 20 councils are replacing their physical pay and display parking machines with apps.
Eight London councils removed all their machines and a further 14 councils have started to remove some of their machines.
In the capital, a total of 16 councils have removed some or all of their parking meters.
Out of 242 councils in England, eight had removed their pay and display machines altogether whilst 14 had removed some.
Half of all London councils - 16 - have removed some or all of their machines.
Apple TV release MLS Season Pass worldwide and announce free opening weekend
These councils included Bromley, Enfield and Kensington and Chelsea.
Other councils in England going cashless included Brighton and Hove, Slough and Oxford, according to research by the BBC.
However, some councils are offering the option to pay in a local shop or over the phone as well as through an app.
As part of its investigation, the BBC collected figures for 244 councils across England, which are responsible for parking.
Out of the councils in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which responded, none had removed pay and display machines.
Councils claimed the risk of theft from cash machines, and the cost of collecting the cash, has fuelled the transition to app-based pay.
The move to cashless parking has been criticised heavily for excluding the elderly and anyone without a smartphone.
Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, told the BBC that there should always be an offline option to pay for parking.
She said: "If you are an older person who is reliant on your car for getting around but you have no means of legally parking it near to where you want to go then you may be left feeling there is little point going there at all, and that would be very sad for anyone affected, and very bad news for businesses too."
A recent RAC survey also found that 59% of respondents were angry about machines being removed, including 73% of respondents aged 65 and over.
Woman's blood boils as date stands her up over her response to innuendo text
Earlier this year, the Levelling Up secretary Michael Gove wrote to councils across England telling them they must ensure parking services remain accessible to all.
However, a spokesperson for the Local Government Association, which represents councils across England and Wales, blamed the removal of the 3G network as the reason for the shift.
They said: "The removal of the 3G network is posing considerable challenges to some councils who operate physical parking meters.
"This change, along with other customer trends, has led to councils digitising parts of their parking services."
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
