To think the new outrageous 'pay by phone' parking shiz will obliterate the high street?

[Proudnscary]

In one of London suburbs near me they've installed these pay by phone parking systems. So you cannot pay for parking unless you have your mobile on you. There are no other options.

I had no idea til I got there so was standing in the pissing rain with 2 dc trying to work out who to text and what. Got two fucking texts back telling me I'd done it wrong and to log on and register with a Phoneparking website!!! FFS!!

I also noticed that there were several parking spaces free when usually there are none. So I googled it when I got home and the local shopkeepers are absolutely desperate - takings are down 40% since they installed these stupid things and hiked the prices. This isn't even a particularly affluent area!! There shouldn't be parking fees anyway, it's notbloody central London.

What about older people without phones or who are even less phone literate than me?

Isn't this illegal, that this is the only method of payment?

Doesn't the council realise this is driving people away from small businesses and into the supermarkets or shopping centres, even more than before??

So angry, am I BU, missing something??

[NotSuchASmugMarriedNow]

nothing new about these - I live in the back of beyond and we've had this system for about 4 years now.

Older people have phones

[MabelLucyAttwell]

But not everyne has a mobile phone - elderly or not. Mine is for emergencies only - not for mucking abut with parking meters!

[Proudnscary]

Yes older people have phones but not all and when you've left your phone at home- I do this when I'm just popping out - you are going to decide not to park in that area and go to a supermarket.

The fact that several shopkeepers are on the brink of collapse and there are no butchers, fishmongers, offies etc as it is because of three supermarkets nearby is shocking.

It is a taxation/revenue drumming scheme that is very short sighted - if half the shops close down, no one will park there and local government will be fucked.

[Auntiestablishment]

It's stupid to have no other options, what about foreign tourists, etc?

Usually when these things are put in there is a "convenience charge" which makes them more expensive than cash - but means you don't have to juggle the wrong change in a machine. Except at the station where the parking is cheaper.

Take the bus instead?

[Proudnscary]

Exactly, Mabel - it was such a faff and I simply won't bother again. So I am yet another shopper lost. I will walk to my local shops from now on (am trying so hard not to go to supermarkets for extras, only a fortnightly shop).

[scaevola]

It's not illegal.

But they are damned annoying, as it's not compulsory to own a mobile phone in th first place; even if you do, you sometimes leave it at home; or the battery flattens at the wrong time.

Limiting payment method options is often a bad thing, as these shopkeepers have found out from the actual reaction of the population of parkers.

It is indeed a hidden motorist deterrent, when it is the sole system.

Many other areas run both a ticket and a text system side by side. Now giving more choice does go down well.

[DoorStop]

There's a carpark near us that you now have to type in your registration number to get a ticket.

The first (and only!) time I've been back under the new system I was in DH's fairly new car so had to go back to the car with DCs and buggy and try and memorise it not so easy with DD1 chatting away and asking what we were doing every 10 seconds and in the pouring rain.

I've avoided it since.

[azazello]

YANBU. They are also a huge hassle to set up. I know you can do it in advance on a website now but if you have to phone up, you can account ofr a hour's worth of parking by going 'silver', 'no not red' 'silver' because the automated system can't cope with any background noise when people are outside.

IMO, parking is the single biggest problem for high street shops.

[Kladdkaka]

I'm not an older person with no phone. I'm a middle aged younger person with no phone. What do I do?

[sheepgomeep]

i have a friend who is 24 and never owned a mobile in her life, she is a whizz on computers but is always with friends and family with her own two children so is always reachable.

younger people without mobiles do exist!

[Proudnscary]

I was bloody fuming when the responding text told me to register with the website because the payment was not 'correct'.

So now you are assuming I have a smart phone - am I going to get another fucking text later saying I hadn't yet paid because I can't get online?

Grrrrr.

If we don't make our feelings known then we are sleep walking into the end of small shops. I truly think that will happen in the next generation.

[Proudnscary]

Also I don't want to register with your cunty website and be in any way affiliated to this shit.

[Proudnscary]

Sheep - my dh never, ever has his phone on him. So yes I know it's not just older people - didn't mean to be discrimatory!

[ladybaabaa]

YANBU, our local meters take cash and pay by phone. Ridiculous not to offer both.

But I do love the pay by phone option as I never have change......

[mercibucket]

A lot of people are not on contracts either so it adds an extra 20p or so to the charge. It is imo yet another indication of the general fuckwittedness of people put 'in charge' of anything - organise, paper bag, way out, couldn't

[mercibucket]

A lot of people are not on contracts either so it adds an extra 20p or so to the charge. It is imo yet another indication of the general fuckwittedness of people put 'in charge' of anything - organise, paper bag, way out, couldn't

[Proudnscary]

Merci - I wish it was 'fuckwittage'. I think it is a cyncial revenue grabbing scheme and more than likely a way to further ingratiate themselves with the big rich boy supermarkets.

[AgentProvocateur]

They had the pay by phone meters in Glasgow for years, but got rid of them about six months ago.

[Proudnscary]

What was the reason (that they got rid of them) Agent?

[AgentProvocateur]

I think the company that dealt with the phone payments went bust, but I'm sure if they'd been a roaring success and made loads of money for the council, they'd have found another one to take it over.

My feeling is that not very many people used them (they were in tandem with cash payments). They were handy if you'd no change, but there was a premium - £1.50, I think - to use them each time, so very expensive.

[SantasENormaSnob]

Yanbu

it would put me off too.

[GypsyMoth]

How dies it work? The payment comes from your bank account or added to phone bill?

[niceguy2]

I'm a geek and love virtually all things techie, yet I hate these new stupid pay by phone things. Forget it. I'd also refuse to park in one.

I think the council are doing their constituents a huge disservice since if these shops close down, people have less choice and the council lose their business rates as well. All to raise a few quid in parking fees. Short sighted IMO.

[Proudnscary]

Yes from account as you have to put your three digit number on there (as well as the time and a code blah blah blah). It is the lack of choice that is staggering - so short sighted or pernicious. Or both.

[PurplePidjInAPearTree]

They charge an extra 20p per transaction down here, but usually give a cash option too.

It's £1 an hour. Fuck off am I paying an extra 20% to pop into town - they've already got so greedy there are no local independant traders able to afford the rent and rates.

I left a note in the window saying "Sorry, machine broken so couldn't buy a ticket"