| ||
The innovative scheme will allow drivers to park in 21 Taunton Deane Borough Council car parks and pay for their stay by using their mobile phone rather than scrabbling for loose change. The cashless system will go "live" in pay-and-display car parks on Thursday 13 December when Taunton Deane will become the first Local Authority in Somerset to introduce the 21st century technology. The launch of RingGo follows in-depth research by officers into ways to improve pay and display parking in the district in a bid to overcome problems drivers face in judging the length of parking time they need to avoid incurring a penalty. RingGo is already being used in First Great Western's car park at Taunton Station and also at Taunton Deane service station on the M5. In that respect this implementation provides a good example of how the Council takes account of related activities within the private sector in its design and delivery of coherent and joined-up services. The state-of-the-art mobile phone technology allows drivers to park and call the local 01823 number displayed on signboards and machines. They will need to provide a location code, shown on signs, their vehicle details and the length of time they want to park. Payment is taken from their credit card. First time users will need to give full credit card details but in subsequent transactions will only need to provide the last four digits. Calls will cost a flat-rate 20p. The sophisticated technology allows the calling line to confirm the identity of the mobile phone that is being used. Motorists will be able to extend their stay by phone without having to go back to the car park and feed the cash machine - and without running the risk of getting a fixed penalty notice. Drivers will still be able to pay in cash in car parks, by feeding coins into existing machines, but the new system will provide the extra flexibility of paying by phone. RingGo's central system will hold the registration numbers of vehicles where parking has been paid for. Parking attendants will be able to "interrogate" the system using their handheld parking devices to check on cars without a ticket on display. If the vehicle is listed, no penalty will be issued. Drivers who encounter problems, from machines being out of order to getting a fixed penalty notice, should still ring Taunton Deane Borough Council. The new system is seen as a win-win solution for both the Council and motorists. Drivers will gain flexibility while the Council will see a reduction in the number of coins going into parking machines leading eventually to a reduction in the costs of collecting the cash. Councillor Simon Coles, Executive Councillor for Strategic Planning and Transport, said: "The Council's priority is to make daily life easier for our community and to promote the Borough as a destination to visit, to go shopping and to enjoy. We believe that making parking payment more flexible will help." The system is also being welcomed by Council Leader Councillor Ross Henley who said: "The new technology means that we are the first council in the South West to offer this service. It means shoppers, for instance, will be able to renew their car park ticket without leaving the shops and won't have to return to the car park to do it."
|
 |
 |
 |
