The public are not yet ready to move towards cashless payment for parking, despite the lengthy and expensive process of changing ticket machines to take the new £1 coin, the British Parking Association (BPA) has said.
The BPA said all coin handling equipment should be ready to accept the new 12-sided coin after a six-month co-circulation period. The round pound will cease to be legal tender on 15 October.
The 12-sided coin is replacing the round pound
The Local Government Association pointed to the expense of the transition to the new coin which launched this week. A spokesperson said: ‘Councils have experienced substantial budget reductions and adapting parking meters is likely to be a further cost burden.’
The BPA said it had worked closely with the Royal Mint to ensure that its members, who include local authorities as well as parking operators, and parking machine manufacturers, are ready to accept the new coin ‘wherever possible’.
It said a huge programme of work had taken place to upgrade equipment for the coin. Most parking machine manufacturers are members of the BPA and are positive they will be able to manage the upgrade ‘in a timely manner’, the BPA said.
While it has been suggested that the introduction of the new coin could encourage a move towards cashless payment systems, the BPA said there is evidence to suggest that significant numbers of motorists are not ready to embrace modern payment systems, preferring coins.
A spokesman told Transport Network that while councils like Westminster and Brighton had moved towards cashless payment, a ‘tipping point’ remained some way away.
The BPA said it advocates parking operators offering a range of payment options including cash but appreciate that this may not be a viable option in all circumstances.
It said motorists should feel confident that they can pay for parking with either cash, card or phone wherever they choose to park.
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