Switch to cashless parking ruled out by highways chiefs

The possibility of scrapping cash at council-run car parks across the district had been considered in a report commissioned by the authority.

The document, published last week, said the council had to pay £140,000 to repair its pay and display machines during the last financial year.

Some of the cost was due to machines being vandalised or targeted by thieves.

Setting out the pros and cons of ditching cash payments, the report said the possible reduction in vandalism would cut repair costs and resolve instances of lost income while machines are out of use.

However, it said it recognised that switching to cashless payments could exclude drivers who did not have bank cards or smart phones.

Matthew Morley, the council’s cabinet member planning and highways, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “Cashless payments is not something we want to move forward to.

“People should always have that choice to be able to use cash.

“I don’t think cash is ever going to go away completely. There needs to be a choice.”

Coun Morley said recent attempts to introduce cashless parking at a multi-storey facility in another local authority area had proved problematic.

He said: “It doesn’t work. They have had that many problems with it and it puts people off from actually using it.

“I don’t want to see us doing that in Wakefield.

“Everyone needs a choice. Whether it be cashless, card, apps, or whatever. You need that variety when it comes to parking so no one is put off using it.”

Coun Morley said a procurement process had begun to get new ticket machines installed across the district.

He said the machines currently in place were second hand and had been installed around 2008.

The council operates 92 machines at 73 on and off-street car parks across the district.

Currently, drivers are allowed to park for free if a machine is out of order.

Joe Jenkinson, the council’s service director for planning, transportation and strategic highways, said the policy was likely to be changed to prevent machines being “sabotaged”.

Mr Jenkinson told members of the council’s regeneration, environment and economic growth scrutiny committee on Thursday (January 18): “We are not proposing to remove cash as an option.

“But what we do have is examples of ticket machines being vandalised.

“There is a strong suspicion that some of that is deliberate because, if the machines are out of order, you can park for free.

“The intention is that we say, ‘if the machines are out of order you are going to have to use the app, otherwise you will get a parking ticket’.

“That seems to be the only way to stop the vandalism if someone is deliberately sabotaging the machines to get free parking.”