Car-loving Croydon Mayor Jason Perry is going ahead with the removal of all the borough’s parking meters and is imposing the use of a third-party smartphone app which charges users even for “free” parking.
Not listening: £82,000 per year Mayor Jason Perry
The council will start turning off the pay-and-display parking machines as soon as next Thursday, March 7, and no cash payments will be available by the end of this month. Motorists will have to use the RingGo app system, or find a nearby shop able to accept payment.
Four “trials” of the smart app system were staged in different parts of the borough, with the overwhelming response being that many motorists, particularly older residents and those who don’t own a smartphone, were unfairly discriminated against by the new system.
The council is removing its parking meters because the 3G networks they use are being shut down. The cash-strapped council has dismissed any possibility of replacing its parking meters with more modern equipment. The council has not published any equalities impact assessment for older residents and the disabled arising from its trials.
“It was so important to hear feedback and learn of the potential issues that could arise. We know that these types of changes can be challenging, so we have listened and made adjustments,” Mayor Perry said, in a council press release sneaked out from the propaganda bunker after 5pm on a Friday evening, less than seven days before the council parking meters will begin to be switched off.
During the trials, some motorists discovered that they incurred a 20p administration charge from RingGo for using the app when logging in for what was supposed to be a “free” parking period.
The council press release laid it on thick about the 3G networks. But they failed to mention that equipping the borough’s car parks and streets with modern equipment is possible – just not without costs, which could be funded from the millions of pounds income that the council receives each year from resident parking permits, parking fees and motoring fines.
“Croydon’s pay and display parking machines are set to change over the coming months, mainly because they operate on the 3G mobile network, which is due to be shutdown during the course of this year,” read a council statement.
From March 7, “pay and display machines will no longer be able to accept cash, as this function will be turned off in batches across the borough”, the council said, with March 31 being the cut-off date for the last of the borough’s parking meters accepting cash. Some meters “will still accept card payment until the 3G network is shutdown”, the council says, without managing to identify which ones.
“It is anticipated that all pay and display machines will be shutdown by the end of June 2024, when the use of RingGo, Paypoint [payments in participating local shops], and phone parking will replace them fully across the borough.
The council said that from its trials, “it was clear motorists want options available for cash payments, so the council has developed a ‘Paypoint’ option, where people can visit any shop that offers ‘Paypoint’ and book a free parking session, or a paid session, with cash or card”.
For those who do not have a smartphone, free parking sessions can be booked by phoning RingGo on 020 3046 0010.
But according to the council’s cheery press release, “The best and most convenient way to park is via the RingGo parking app, available to download for free on both Apple and Android devices.” Convenient? For whom?
The council added a line to say that it “does not make any additional charge for use of RingGo”.
But RingGo does make its own admin charges, with users paying 20p a time for text reminders. “These notifications can be easily switched off in the app settings,” according to the council.
“We had a lot of response to our trials and have taken steps to address a vast majority of concerns, with options for Paypoint and the ability to phone RingGo to book a session added to our payment options,” simpered piss-poor Perry.
There is a survey on the council website for residents’ feedback, but that won’t be available until March 7 – after the start of the parking meter shutdown.
The council survey can be found by clicking here, or by emailing parking@croydon.gov.uk.
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ROTTEN BOROUGH AWARDS: In January 2024, Croydon was named among the country’s rottenest boroughs for a SEVENTH successive year in the annual round-up of civic cock-ups in Private Eye magazine
“Car loving”?
So you’ve proved you can read. Well done
Ah well Croydon has finally flIpped its lid, a council that has completly gone bonkers. Well that settles it having to put up with the muggings and violence we will now shop elsewhere. To all the residents in Croydon you voted for these mad people so you only have yourself to blame.
” For those who do not have a smartphone, free parking sessions can be booked by phoning RingGo on 020 3046 0010. ”
I have just rung this number and it states ” to use this service you must have a mobile phone number “.
Clearly the Councils advice is wrong from the start. How do you get a free parking session or pay for parking if you don’t have a mobile and as they discriminate against land lines ?
Digital exclusion. I will have to spend my money in another borough. Yet more empty shops on Croydon’s horizon.
This is in breach of the Equality Act 2010, if there is unfair discrimination of people based on Age and the council have not made reasonable mitigating actions to address this, they could be liable for breaching their public sector equality duty. This also disproportionately impacts people who are digitally deprived and may not be able to afford data to book systems and those that may only be able to use cash. It’s a leadership of tyranny.
I would think not to allow people to give their phone number at home if they do not have a mobile phone is grounds to appeal to the Parking adjudicator. If I am not very mobile and do not have a blue badge how do I get to a shop to book a slot. Appeal,Appeal Appeal. As inside Croydon said this firm had to report itself to both RzU and UK adjudicators because they have been hacked and people details on RingGo identified.
How long does someone have after parking to walk, find a PayPoint shop and pay before one gets fined ? I assume the Council will publish a list of Croydon shops offering access / payment to its parking services.
I’ve had the joy of using RingGo and still receiving a parking ticket, presumably because the system doesn’t update properly and my car parking appeared unpaid. I’ve sent the council the appeal and receipt for payment but the 56 to 90 response limit hasn’t been reached yet, so who knows?
One thing you can be sure of is that,if the Council do publish a list of Croydon shops offering access/payment to its parking services, the list will be incomplete and inaccurate from the beginning. What else would you expect? After all, the Council has a reputation for careless inefficiency that it must protect.
Having dug deeper I have read that the RingGo system, (in Bromley), will accept land line numbers. Once you enter the land line number you have to enter the car registration, payment details and a ‘ location code ‘.
How will one know the location code without parking first; thus making use of ones home land line impossible. Or can one park for an hour then go home and ring RingGo two or three hours later with the relevant parking locations details retrospectively; even after receiving a PCN ticket ? I suspects that will not be the case as one could evade all tickets that way.
I think the system is cynically saying land lines can be used when in reality they can not. It will be interesting to see through an appeal on this basis. Being retired, having nothing better to do, this should be considered ‘sport or entertainment’. Watch this space.