Parking in Newton Abbot is being made easier
£60,000 is being spent to make parking cashless - and bring it in line with other towns
Ticket barriers at three Newton Abbot car parks are set to be removed as new cashless pay and display ticket machines are to be installed.
Cricketfield Road, Newfoundland Way and the Multi Storey car park in Sherborne Road will lose their barriers on July 1 when the new system comes into operation.
The £60,000 investment, being made by Teignbridge District Council, aims to improve safety, reduce maintenance costs and free up staff to respond to other parking issues, as well as to stop the periodic blockages that can occur if problems arise due to equipment failures.
To ensure people is able to pay for their parking using their preferred method, each car park will retain one machine that accepts cash, but as well as the ability to pay by card, residents will also be able to use the RingGo parking payment service to pay by mobile, via the RingGo app or by calling or using the app.
Residents will also benefit by paying for parking in advance and can also use the RingGo service remotely to increase the time they want to park without having to return to the car park.
Staff will be on hand in each of the car parks on July 1 to help motorists deal with any issues.
"The combination of removing the barriers and having cashless payment machines will speed up parking and improve safety. If people sign up to RingGo then they will not have to touch the machines nor carry cash."
Cllr Nina Jeffries - Executive member for Business, Economy, and Tourism
At the same time, NHS and essential staff will no longer be able to park for free following the Government’s decision to end on June 21 the temporary concession introduced in the early months of the pandemic.
All concession holders have been written to and will from the beginning of next month have to buy a permit or pay at a machine in any car park throughout the district.
Also from July 1, the Newfoundland Way car park will become a short stay car park.
While at present, motorists can stay for longer than four hours, as of next Thursday, the maximum stay length in the car park will be capped at four hours.
No changes to stay lengths at Cricketfield Road or the multi-storey car parks are proposed.