Parking scheme ‘driving visitors away’

Canterbury City Council has won big at a national awards ceremony for parking following the roll-out of its automatic number plate recognition system - yet not everyone is as impressed with the modernised technology.

Fending off the likes of Cardiff Council and a traffic management project in Edinburgh, the authority took home one gong for its ANPR expansion and another for its digitalised permit service at the British Parking Awards on Friday.

Despite earning national recognition for the service, an aggrieved customer says the city’s ticketless parking expansion will force him to shop elsewhere.

Michael Jessop, 64, believes the technology fails to cater for the everyday shopper.

On his last visit to Pound Lane car park, the Ramsgate resident’s short stay fee ended up rising from 90p to £1.40 as he struggled to confirm his payment.

“Frankly my visit was ludicrous - the whole system is utterly ill-conceived,” he said. “I’d rather park up and put a ticket in my car rather than have a performance with the machines which hardly work.

“If you were a foreigner you wouldn’t have a clue how to use them.

“The council is turning Canterbury into a very unattractive destination to visit for ordinary people. I’d rather do my shopping in another town.”

The ANPR scheme enables drivers to make a payment automatically online or at the tap of a debit card.

The roll-out across 16 council car parks continued last week, with Gorrell Tank in Whitstable now using the system.

City council spokesman Rob Davies says the current equipment at Pound Lane will be upgraded in the coming months with new machines, cameras and barriers.

He added: “Hopefully Mr Jessop will be tempted back, and if he is, we’d encourage him to get an online payment account so that he never needs to bother with a pay machine again.”