Contactless parking payment coming to Chichester

City centre car park meters will accept contactless payments by 2018 in a council bid to make parking easier for visitors.
By The Newsroom
Published 14th Apr 2016, 11:04 BST
Updated 7th Jun 2018, 18:32 BST

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Having to dig out change to park in Chichester and surrounding areas will be a thing of the pastHaving to dig out change to park in Chichester and surrounding areas will be a thing of the past
Having to dig out change to park in Chichester and surrounding areas will be a thing of the past

At least one meter in rural car parks and all city centre meters will take debit or credit card payments within the next two years.

Chichester District Council is also aiming to offer payment by phone – with remote top-ups - by the end of the year.

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Deputy leader Eileen Lintill said: “I welcome it. When I don’t have to rattle around for change and can just put a card in it’s brilliant.”

The council owns and manages 29 car parks, which have more than 90 meters.

Between 2014 and 2015, the council sold one million tickets and around 2,000 season tickets.

Leader Tony Dignum said the proposals would offer ‘what customers want’, at a reasonable cost to the council.

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The cabinet agreed to bring forward up to £100,000 allocated in the asset repair fund to the current financial year to help facilitate the replacement of current meters.

Mr Dignum said: “The cabinet member (Gillian Keegan) and I have agreed that the priority this year is widening the range of payment methods and extending the number of machines able to take credit and debit cards.

“The proposed payment by phone method of parking will assist with providing flexibility to customers without the capital investment needed for pay on exit.”

Other improvements for the car parks include zoning the larger city centre facilities to help visitors find their car easier.

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Additional spaces will be added in Little London and Northgate car parks.

A total of 19 new meters are being introduced currently and a tender exercise will be undertaken in the next few months for the purchasing of further machines.

The introduction of a new £1 coin will require existing meters to be upgraded.

Councillor Roger Barrow asked if the new machines would withstand the salt water air in places like Selsey. Officers assured him the meters would withstand the elements.

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Related topics:Chichester District CouncilGillian KeeganFacebookTwitter