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Motorists parking in Keswick car parks owned by Allerdale Borough Council are being offered a quicker and more convenient way to pay for parking - by phone, using their credit or debit card. Working in partnership with technology firm Cobalt Telephone Technologies, the Council is offering cashless parking service RingGo in the town's Bell Close, Lakeside, Otley Road and Central car parks from Wednesday 16 September 2009. Once registered, motorists will be able to call the standard-rate telephone number 01768 759 859 to pay for parking, simply by giving the car park reference number - which is shown on the signs and payment machines - and stating how long they wish to stay for. The parking fee is then deducted from their credit or debit card, plus a 20p service charge added by the service provider RingGo. Once parked in a long-stay car park, if motorists are running late for any reason, they can simply extend their parking time by the same method. They can also request a text or e-mail reminder to advise them when their parking period is due to expire, for an extra cost of 10p. No ticket is needed as the Council's civil enforcement officers can accurately check which vehicles have paid using the new system through special mobile phones, which link directly to a central data system. The RingGo service has proved to be very successful in council-run car parks in other areas of the country and at a number of train stations, providing motorists with a simple, alternative method of paying for their parking. Councillor Ron Munby, Allerdale Borough Council's Executive member with responsibility for Parking Services, said: ""We work closely with our partners to improve the standards of our car parks for customers and this initiative is a welcome alternative to our pay-and-display machines. You can still pay by cash in our car parks, but this new system gives extra convenience. "It will give our resident and visiting motorists the choice of how to pay for their parking - avoiding the need to hunt for loose change along with the assurance that they can extend their stay if necessary without having to go back to the car park." First time users of the service can register by mobile phone at the time they want to park, by calling 01768 759 859 or by visiting www.myRingGo.co.uk. Registration only takes a couple of minutes and the service is even quicker the next time it is used. |
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