Pay-and-display at risk from end of 3G
All areas: Councils face huge costs to upgrade pay machines
A significant upgrade is set for the 120 pay-and-display machines in Royal Boroughowned car parks as the old technology becomes obsolete.
Several council areas are facing the ‘end of pay and display’ because mobile phone providers are switching off 3G data networks which run them.
Local authorities, including neighbouring Slough, are now looking at scrapping the machines and directing the public to use smartphone apps.
The alternative to losing the machines is to upgrade them to more advanced 4G versions. Some local authorities are saying it would cost them upwards of a £1million to do this.
Windsor and Maidenhead Council said it is in the process
of upgrading the machines to 4G but residents travelling further afield may struggle to park if they rely on machines.
In the Borough, payment can be made by either cash, credit or debit card in ‘almost all of the council’s car parks’ and the RingGo cashless parking system is available in all.
However, there are concerns about services like RingGo, which allows users to use a smartphone app or call up to register and pay to park.
Detractors of the move towards a higher-tech future have said it will simply increase the risk of on-street or unauthorised parking.
Another outcome could be that people do not visit places they used to, impacting the local economy as well as their mental wellbeing.
Tereena Davies, CEO of Age Concern Slough and Berkshire East (SABE), said some older people may have ‘very limited’ phones that cannot keep up with the demands of parking apps.
“I think it’s going to be very difficult for the elderly,” she said. “It’s leaving them behind. With the security issues and scams, there’s a lot of suspicion around technology.”
Signal can also be a problem – there can be issues with either the mobile internet or the phone network connection.
She said it could have an impact on organisations as well, whose staff may encounter difficulties reclaiming expenses and may not be issued phones.
In neighbouring Slough, the council will be looking to remove parking meters in the next year – though it is unsure at this stage if this will be all of them.
It is ‘looking at pay point options’ for drivers without smartphones or who do not use parking apps. There ‘are also options’ to pay by phone call.
The Royal Borough, by contrast, is taking the route of upgrading.
A council spokesperson said: “There are 120 pay and display machines across the council’s car parks and these are in the process of being upgraded to 4G. No machines will be removed.”