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Paying for car parking

(64 Posts)
Iam64 Sat 17-Nov-18 11:03:47

The Parking liberation front appears to have won its ongoing battle with the Water Board at the parking places near our local reservoirs. As fast as the parking machines have been repaired, the PLF arrives in stealth and destroys the machines again. For over a year now, we've all been parking free as a result.
I expect the Water Board has a cunning plan to introduce pay by debit card machines but I don't suppose that will stop the vandals/PLF. It isn't about stealing the bit of money in the machine, it's opposition to fleecing drivers.

Buffybee Sat 17-Nov-18 10:09:00

I feel very lucky to live in a small town with several free Council car parks in the centre.
We also have an Asda, Aldi, Iceland all with parking and a Tesco Express all within a few hundred yards of each other and a high street full of private retail shops and little cafes.
I love it here!

Nanabilly Sat 17-Nov-18 09:55:28

When using these make sure you type in the correct reg . Unlike me , I got one letter wrong so had to pay again. Machine one end of car park and car the other end so could not see it to check .

PamelaJ1 Sat 17-Nov-18 09:52:43

This is what I photographed when I bought my tickets at our station. Hope you can see it.
I’ll go on line and prepay.

NanKate Sat 17-Nov-18 09:46:44

Yes Harrigran we use the photograph one at the P and R in Oxford. Last time it came up with 3 cars with our registration letters and we had to order closely to identify ours.

ninathenana Sat 17-Nov-18 09:09:16

shock that's a new one on me harrigran. The pay stations are inside at our local hospital too.
I only have to pay for parking when I go to the hairdressers in town. There is no other reason for me to go there. It's such a small town that we have only quiet recently got the machines where you have to enter your reg No. We might get a card payment type in 10 yrs !

harrigran Sat 17-Nov-18 08:58:03

At the hospital the other day we had to pay for the car park before we left the out patient department, DH put the ticket in the machine up came a photograph of our car with the registration clearly displayed, big brother is watching you.

stella1949 Sat 17-Nov-18 01:14:02

I can't imagine that anyone today would not have a debit or credit card. They are super-easy to use in parking stations, just pop the card in and off you go.

FlexibleFriend Fri 16-Nov-18 23:06:08

Parking for our local shops is free for the first 30 minutes and about 20p for the next 30 minutes. In the town centre it's a pound for the first 30 minutes and £2 for an hour we have a lot of pay points but they are in high traffic areas and I've never seen any vandalised. The most expensive place to park is the Hospital and again the pay points are in very busy area so unlikely to be targeted.

Grandad1943 Fri 16-Nov-18 22:02:48

Same here Charleygirl5. Carol, my wife and me, have several apps on our phones for car parks. All you have to do is look at the car park tariff board that will inform anyone of the app that can be used and then just tap that in on your phone.

All that is required is the vehicle registration, the amount of time you wish to park for, and the card or Paypal details. It then even sends you a reminder text when that time is near expiry, and you can extend it without even returning to the car.

It has never failed for us and very convenient. wink

Charleygirl5 Fri 16-Nov-18 21:47:37

Where I live it is done on one's phone- that is beyond me.

NanKate Fri 16-Nov-18 21:43:25

Yes Maw, but some of the members of my W.I. go into a lather about using them in a car park, let alone tapping in their reg number. These tend to be the women who do not use IPads or IPhones.

MawBroon Fri 16-Nov-18 21:41:28

Surely everybody has a debit card these days?

NanKate Fri 16-Nov-18 21:40:36

Recently some of the pay stations at a couple of our towncar parks have been vandalised. The local authority in their wisdom have decided to change some (not quite all) pay stations to credit/debit cards only ? Now not everyone has a card, or don’t feel able to use a card at the machines. I would have thought that pay stations could be made vandal proof, but obviously not.

This new regime could be coming to a car park near you, so please be warned.