Pay and display is reportedly set to be abolished in the UK, meaning that drivers will now have to use a car park's designated app to pay for their parking. The decision has thrown up plenty of issues, including that there are an estimated 30 different smartphone apps in operation across the country, which means that motorists would have to download a plethora of different programmes to avoid risking a fine, and that many elderly and vulnerable people who don't have a smartphone or struggle to use them will be particularly hard hit.
Alongside the obvious technical difficulties of downloading an app, including phone signal and available storage, drivers could be made late for appointments as they are left with no choice but to sit and wait for another app to download onto their phone. Pay and display machines will stop being used in London boroughs Bromley and Enfield by April, while by May 31 the practice will also be ended by Brighton and Hove City Council. Both Harrow and Westminster in London have already removed all their machines.
Mobile phone providers switching off 3G data networks which run the parking meters is the catalyst for the change. The cost of updating all machines in Bromley, for example, would cost £1 million.
Dennis Reed, director of over-60s campaign group Silver Voices, told the Daily Express: “This is blatant ageism. They know very well when they introduce these systems that they are discriminating against older people. A lot of older people don’t have a smartphone or if they do, they only use them for calls and texts. They don’t know about apps, let alone downloading them.
“The answer is that a lot of people simply drive off and find somewhere else to park such as the road or someone’s street. There needs to be an alternative.”
Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, said the move was "disastrous for anyone without a smartphone" and it could leave the elderly more isolated. 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.”
One benefit of using a smartphone app is it often gives users the ability to add extra time to their stay without having to rush back to their vehicle. But there are numerous providers, such as RingGo, JustPark, PayByPhone and Parkopedia, and they usually each require users to key in their contact information as well as their car details – which takes much longer than simply inserting coins or a bank card into a machine.
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As with any online programme, there is also a risk of scammers taking advantage of users. RingGo warns customers an unauthorised website called APKPURE has been advertising its app without permission and urged users not to download it via the APKPURE website as it could contain a virus.
RingGo blamed theft from machines – which saw Westminster council lose an estimated 25 percent of its takings – as well as vandalism, maintenance and the loss of 3G, for the change. It said a joint initiative by the Department of Transport and local authorities was being trialled to create a National Parking Platform that simplifies payments with a single app.
Dave Smith of the British Parking Association said parking operators should offer cash payment as well as digital and fines shouldn't be issued if the system isn't working.
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