Residents’ permit parking was introduced in Reading almost 50 years ago.
The scheme has expanded and adapted over the years as more and more neighbourhoods have seen its benefits and wanted permit zones introduced in their areas.
There are now 19 residents parking zones across the borough providing on-street spaces for households to park near their homes.
The scheme went through another significant change very recently.
Just two weeks ago the new digital visitor permit scheme was rolled out across the whole borough and 378 digital packs have already been successfully issued.
Early data shows that most bookings are for one or two hours, which reinforces the findings of the trial in Caversham and demonstrates the benefit to residents of being able to book parking by the hour.
The old system meant that half-day blocks had to be used even if someone was only calling by for an hour, resulting in many lost hours.
Residents now receive 240 free hours of parking for visitors which can be used on an hourly basis, and up to another 600 hours can be purchased.
The Council is never going to be able to come up with a scheme which is going to be perfect for everyone but the analysis of the 15-month trial in lower Caversham clearly demonstrated that this more flexible approach benefits a large majority of households.
Another great benefit of the new scheme is that parking for your visitor can be booked online without any need to scratch off dates and times on a card and displaying it in the vehicle.
Permit holders can simply log on to their account wherever they are, select the number of hours required, set the start date and time and enter the registration of the visiting vehicle. You can also set a reminder to receive an alert when the session is about to expire.
Also, there is no waiting around for permits to be printed and delivered when new pack are ordered and it saves on the cost of printing and postage, as well as cutting the use of resources and therefore contributing to reducing the Council’s carbon footprint.
However, the Council does recognise that the digital scheme may not work for everyone, and it will still be possible to apply for physical visitor permits by email or post.
It is also worth pointing out that the existing scratchcard permits you may have at home will still be valid to use up to the final date printed on the card.
One of the misgivings some people had about digital permits was the lack of visibility of permits in windscreens. However, making use of the latest technology means that enforcement of parking continues to be just as robust, if not even more efficient.
Civil enforcement officers (CEO) continue to patrol the streets using handheld devices to instantly check vehicles, and spotter cars installed with automatic number plate recognition can send real time information to CEOs.
The parking section on the Council’s website has been updated with all the details of how to use the new scheme.
Visit: https://www.reading.gov.uk/vehicles-roads-and-transport/parking-permits/.
