NEW MODERNISED pay and display machines are being installed across Reading as part of an upgrade of parking facilities, Reading Borough Council has announced.
The upgrades mean contactless payment by bank card and mobile payment apps will now be available for the first time in the town, as well as RingGo.
All the new machines will be solar-powered and the cashless models will be ticketless, as part of the Council’s aim to cut its carbon footprint.
It also means motorists will not need to return to their car to display a ticket.
Nearly 100 new machines are set to be installed: 82 for on-street parking, and 14 more for council-run car parks.
Cash payments will be available from around 20 of them where there has historically been a high cash use, including new machines to be installed around the Royal Berkshire Hospital.
Many of the 168 machines in use around the town had been covered in preparation of the upgrade, which is expected to conclude in July.
Motorists will need to ensure they correctly enter their car registration number when paying to park as no ticket will be issued and parking enforcement officers will check a vehicle’s payment status digitally on a handheld device, or by using automatic number plate recognition.
It comes after a review of Reading’s on-street parking service found that many ticket machines had a low number of cash transactions and a majority of payments were through RingGo.
Using RingGo incurs a 20p fee but allows motorists to extend their parking session remotely and set reminders when a session is coming to an end.
Payment can also be made by calling RingGo, so a smart phone is not required.
John Ennis, Lead Councillor for Climate Strategy and Transport, said: “The new pay and display machines now being installed around the town will allow motorists to pay for parking using bank card or mobile payment apps for the first time ever in Reading.
“While the new methods of payment will be welcomed by many, we recognise that cash payment remains popular in some areas of the town and machines will still accept cash in these locations.
“Overall, the modern new machines should offer a much more convenient service for a majority of motorists using on-street parking spaces in Reading.”
More information about which machines are set to see and upgrade and how to use them i s available via: reading.gov.uk/vehicles-roads-and-transport
