Smart Parking is fine for regular use

Dear Editor While reading the PA dated June 16, I came across your ‘Perthshire View’ section and the part titled ‘Stressed Out...’ written by Mr Digney, where he seems to have issues with Smart Parking.

I would like to express my thoughts with some of his points on this matter as an avid reader of your paper and use the multistorey car park several times a week due to commitments. When new the system was hard to understand, but now I feel it is much better and I find the staff very helpful when asked for assistance. Point 1 - He states that ‘While drivers are bombarded with signage stating T’s and C’s you can exit the facility without encountering the site’s Ringgo code’. I could only assume that he exited the facility by the way of the vehicle ramps, where if he had exited by the way of the stairwells for health and safety reasons he would have passed the payment machines with payment options, cost, instructions and T’s and C’s clearly displayed, also there are signs clearly displaying the phone number, various apps and the Ringgo Site Code for that facility(3100). Point 2 - He states that ‘ The facility is cash only or you can pay by Ringgo’. These are the same options used by Perth and Kinross Council in all of the car parking areas including on street parking, coins only, no change given or pay by Ringo with the exception if I am correct in saying, the Canal Street multi storey and the South Inch car parks, so I can’t see there is an issue there. Point 3 He states that Smart Parking ‘asserts that they are ‘Kinnoull Street Multi Storey’ despite their sign clearly displaying just ‘Kinnoull Street car park’. Since this facility was first built it has always been just called “Kinnoull Street car park” due to the fact that it is the only car park on that street hence the name on the sign, the only other car parking available is council on street parking.

He also states that ‘There is another facility named Kinnoull Street car park just outside the Smart Parking facility’. Is he then blaming Smart Parking for this? This car park as this is owned and run by Perth and Kinross Council, so shouldn’t his issue then be with them as to why it’s called Kinnoull Street car park as you can only enter and exit this car park via Carpenter Street, Blackfriars Street and Blackfriars Wynd and not from Kinnoull Street?

I can only then assume he then inputted the wrong site code when paying by Ringo. I feel at times it is in fact human error that these mistakes are being made and I myself made early on with the system and held my hands up and admitted and paid the charge for my mistake, without a grudge. Name and address supplied