Pay and Display Car Parking

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Wed 27 Feb 2013 14:31
Pay and Display Car Parking - ConnorTheStudent

Hello,

As part of my degree I am looking at usability and interaction with pay-and-display car park machines.

I need your views, to help me design and build an alternative to current machines.

Already I have had a lot of comments from people saying signage is confusing and irrelevant, and also people have also commented on the lack of machines that give change.

Visit goo.gl/6JzVq and fill out my survey!

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Wed 27 Feb 2013 16:14
Pay and Display Car Parking - jamie745

Full abolishment would be nice, but whatever you do don't use that phone-and-pay nonsense they have in London.

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Wed 27 Feb 2013 16:49
Pay and Display Car Parking - Bromptonaut

Full abolishment would be nice, but whatever you do don't use that phone-and-pay nonsense they have in London.

Apart from the cheeky 'convenience fee' what's the problem?

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Wed 27 Feb 2013 16:57
Pay and Display Car Parking - jamie745

With the phone thing or just paying to park generally?

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Wed 27 Feb 2013 17:08
Pay and Display Car Parking - Bromptonaut

The phone thing. Our interrogator is taking paying as a given and asking how to make it easier.

I'd say the basic P&D model is a good one. Keep the machines simple with fisher-price type buttons you can use with gloves on. Eschew touch screens unless you're going to take care to keep them clean and in places where sunlight doesn't wash them out.

Other payment options including phone, either text or smart scan. Take cards including the new contactless ones.

Think about where it is. Pay on foot/exit works when there is a steady stream like in shopper car parks. It works at airports because baggage reclaim, customs and meet/greet space people out. PoF does not work at stations 800 people all trying to pay then drive off at once is not a good proposition. Silverlink trains tried it in 1996 - lasted two months before they gave up.

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Wed 27 Feb 2013 17:11
Pay and Display Car Parking - jamie745

Paying with the phone is unfathamable. I just wanted to exchange some money for some tarmac on which to leave my vehicle stationary.

Shouldn't be difficult should it?

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Wed 27 Feb 2013 21:57
Pay and Display Car Parking - Leif

I'm sure the no change thing is a scam to make more money. In fact parking in town is a scam to get more money but I'm not sure it works. I now avoid shopping in towns because I don't want to pay to park, or even risk a fine if I overstay. I am sure many people think like me, so the town shops make less money, and custom goes to supermarkets, out of town shopping centres, and online shops. In other words it kills the town centre. Is this what the councils really want? Never mind, at least the online shops such as Amazon pay taxes ... err ...

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Wed 27 Feb 2013 23:06
Pay and Display Car Parking - galileo

Local TV news tonight reported that Leeds plans to charge for evening/Sunday parking which is at the moment free.

Just the thing to help city centre businesses, isn't it?

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Wed 27 Feb 2013 23:16
Pay and Display Car Parking - jamie745

Councils don't care about business, but at least they'll make an extra £7.20 a month to spend on their own allowances.

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Thu 28 Feb 2013 08:52
Pay and Display Car Parking - Leif

Local TV news tonight reported that Leeds plans to charge for evening/Sunday parking which is at the moment free.

Just the thing to help city centre businesses, isn't it?

I visit local towns to see friends and we use the car parks which are free after 6pm. If they charge, then we'll just go to an out of town restaurant which has its own parking. So the town restaurant and pubs will lose custom.

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Thu 28 Feb 2013 17:23
Pay and Display Car Parking - jamie745

Yes but you're forgetting councils don't care about business. You'll struggle to find a councillor who's ever run a business because frankly they've got better things to do than sit in a town hall and debate a new bus route.

Councils - especially northern Labour run ones - have nothing to gain from cutting costs yet improving services and they have nothing to gain by helping local business because they could prove the Government right. What would be the point in that?

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Thu 28 Feb 2013 20:38
Pay and Display Car Parking - Leif

Yes but you're forgetting councils don't care about business.

No I'm not.

You'll struggle to find a councillor who's ever run a business because frankly they've got better things to do than sit in a town hall and debate a new bus route.

Councils - especially northern Labour run ones - have nothing to gain from cutting costs yet improving services and they have nothing to gain by helping local business because they could prove the Government right. What would be the point in that?

Sadly that could be true. The worst areas in my experience for speed cameras are poor areas. My guess is that poor people are not faster drivers. Rather they generate less income for the council, and the latter try to make up the shortfall from other sources e.g. speed cameras. And parking.

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Thu 28 Feb 2013 21:27
Pay and Display Car Parking - Bromptonaut

Afaik little if any of the speed camera revenue now goes to the Council. In fact changes to that regime were a reason why Northants shut down its fixed cameras.

Parking revenue is simply down to the value of spaces as what the septics call real estate. If folks won't pay the spaces go begging; I can't immediately name places where that's happened.

Ring road supermarkets/superstores taking trade from town centres coincided with charges for street parking. The fact that both occured at same time is not proof of cause/effect.

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Thu 28 Feb 2013 18:04
Pay and Display Car Parking - daveyjp
I for one say good call. Leeds is packed on a Saturday when you have to pay so people obviously aren't that put off. Free parking sounds great, but n Leeds it is too popular. Try getting a space on a Sunday, its almost impossible unless you are up with the lark.

On my last two Sunday visits each has involved driving round for ages trying to find a space. I wasted money on fuel trying to avoid parking charges. For me its a false economy.

Charging introduces churn of spaces.
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Thu 28 Feb 2013 18:37
Pay and Display Car Parking - jamie745

Can't have packed cities with thriving high streets can we. Oh no. That'd be awful.

Boo. Hiss. Attack.

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Thu 28 Feb 2013 21:48
Pay and Display Car Parking - Avant

At Twyford station, APCOA charge less if you phone than if you put money into the machine, even though the phone payment is by credit card. I preauma that;s typical opf other APCOA station car parks.

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Thu 15 Aug 2013 10:22
Pay and Display Car Parking - RichardRohn

To be honest i don't have any suggestion about car parking but if you are building it you should study it well and look what is the way of may car parking business do.In Helsinki there is some traffic warden in a private parking control at http://www.parkpatrol.fi/ and i notice that it is a good thing that they have a traffic warden for watching the car.

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Fri 16 Aug 2013 12:27
Pay and Display Car Parking - Ordovices

I find phone and card payment methods very convenient. Not having to think about having the correct money to hand allows a little more flex.

I first came across phone payment in York and wish it were more widespread, apart from the initial setting up, it is probably less hassle than paying cash (don't have to queue in the rain!). Cards too, obviate the need for cash and are useful abroad. Despite my wanderings, I am still not as familiar with euro shrapnel and find it awkward.

Pay stations shielded from the weather are good ideas, though turning them into green houses can be as off putting as getting wet.

Jamie,

Shouldn't be difficult should it?

Given that I am not a geek and have never owned, and will never own an i phone, the fact that I can make it work means that it is most certainly fathomable. (I'm not a total dinosaur, my phone does have a colour screen)

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