Parkeons Varioflex Payon-Foot parking system makes major UK debut in Leighton Buzzard

Leighton Buzzard, August 25, 2004 – South Bedfordshire District Council’s (SBDC) newly-refurbished, multi-storey car park (MSCP) in West Street, Leighton Buzzard is amongst the first major UK installations of Parkeon’s recently-introduced Varioflex
Pay-on-Foot (P-o-F) parking system. Two automatic pay stations, along with two, barrier-controlled terminals on both the twin entry and exit lanes, have been installed
in the 4-storey, 266 space town centre facility.

Before opting for the Varioflex system, the Council looked at a number of options. "There were visits to various installations, including the Parkeon system in Winchester, before we made a decision," says Alan Tyson, Parking Manager at SBDC. "We also discussed our requirements with VINCI Park, who manage our parking facilities. They subsequently supplied the Parkeon system, having recommended it, particularly for reliability."

SBDC changed from a Pay & Display (P&D) to a P-o-F system as part of the L1 million refurbishment project, in order to apply for Secure Car Park status. The provision of barriers, together with the need for a driver to be in possession of a ticket to be able
to remove a vehicle from the car park, are regarded as significant factors in preventing vehicle thefts. The car park is fully enclosed and secured at night to prevent vandalism and other anti-social behaviour. Consequently, folding entry/exit barriers have been installed to enable them to operate within the car park’s existing headroom.

Anne Brereton, the Council’s Deputy Chief Executive and Corporate Director for Environment and Development, is delighted that the refurbishment has been completed, "A huge amount of work has gone into this project, which has resulted in a brighter, safer car park that people visiting the town centre will want to use. The refurbishment has been very much a team effort by council officers and our partners in the project and I’m sure visitors to Leighton Buzzard will be very impressed with what they find.”

The Council’s extensive list of refurbishments includes the construction of a new vehicle exit point in order to reduce vehicle conflict in the area around the entrance; installation of CCTV and intercoms; provision of a new lift, lighting and state-of-the–art public conveniences. A full-time parking attendent will be on duty during the car park’s opening hours. There is plenty of parking elsewhere in the town, outside of business hours.

About Parkeon (website: www.parkeon.com)

Parkeon was formerly Schlumberger e-City, the Parking and Ticketing Systems division of Schlumberger. The Company was at the forefront of the development of Pay & Display terminals in the 1970s and has 30 years of proven innovation and expertise in the parking business.

Today, Parkeon is a leader in parking systems and equipment. The Company employs over 800 people worldwide and generated revenues of €122 million in 2003.

With an installed base in excess of 120,000 machines, its parking terminals are a familiar sight in 3,000 cities across 40 countries and its Pay & Display systems control over 3 million parking spaces around the world. Over the last 15 years, Parkeon has developed an installed base of 3,000 ticket vending machines for heavy and light rail, underground and multimodal transport operators in Europe, notably Belgium, Denmark, France, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.

Thanks to world-class engineers and substantial investments over the last three years, Parkeon has built undeniable technological leadership in its field. Parkeon provides complete parking and fare collection solutions, equipment and services to municipalities, car park and mass transit operators.

Varioflex is a mark of Parkeon.

Parkeon Limited, Membrain House, Ferndown Industrial Estate, Wimborne, Dorset BH21 7PP, U.K.
Tel: 01202 850927 Fax: 01202 850903 Web: www.parkeon.com