Plymouth introduces contactless payment cards in its car parks

These will include the introduction of contactless card readers in the new Parkeon Strada Pay & Display (P&D) terminals being installed in three of the Councils car parks. It is also replacing 38 on-street P&D terminals with solar-powered Stradas.

The addition of contactless payment card facilities will take the City forward with the latest in parking technology, explained Mike Artherton, CCTV & Parking Manager in PCCs Transport and Highways department. Although primarily intended for those staying all day in the higher value transaction areas or buying weekly passes, we are extending the convenience of card payment facilities to all drivers, even those paying for just an hour.

The additional terminals will be linked to PCCs existing Parkfolio centralised management system to which it is adding Parkfolio Easy. This simple user interface provides an overview of the P&D installations status at-a-glance and will enable the Council to utilise its resources even more effectively.

Parking revenue collection is an in-house operation at PCC and Parkfolio Easy will enable us to direct our collection and enforcement teams to the busiest zones, advised Mike Artherton. The statistics generated by the centralised management system will give us a clearer understanding of how parking activity slots into the overall transport infrastructure, which will help plan traffic movements and controls. 

Pay-on-Foot

Following the success of the Parkeon Varioflex Pay-on-Foot (P-o-F) system installed in Plymouths Theatre Royal MSCP last year, the Council is also replacing P&D in its Regent Street MSCP. Two automatic Varioflex automatic pay stations will be installed, along with Varioflex barriers/terminals on the entry/exit lanes.

The Council will centralise the management of the two car parks. A Varioflex client server station in the Regents Street MSCP is to be linked to another in the Councils offices to monitor financial aspects of its P-o-F controlled off-street parking.

PCC plans to replace P&D terminals in its three other MSCPs with Varioflex systems in due course. This will enable it to consider a number of options for the future, including automatic number plate recognition (ANPR).

Although P-o-F is Plymouths preferred option for off-street parking, the Council is likely to maintain P&D controls in a few of its surface car parks - because of their design - in order to facilitate access for the disabled.

Reliability was a key issue in the choice of machines and PCC is very happy with the levels maintained by its Parkeon installations, both on and off-street, stated Mike Artherton. With these latest developments, Plymouths entire parking estate will be Parkeon equipped.

The new systems were purchased via the Devon Procurement Partnership (DPP), which helped simplify the tender process and provided a more cost-effective solution. 

About Parkeon

Parkeon is a key player in global parking and transport management solutions. With a 35-year history in the sector, the company is at the forefront of innovation and has a presence in 40 countries and 3,000 cities worldwide. The companys headquarters is in France, while it has offices across Europe (Belgium, Germany, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom) and in the United States, employing over 1,100 people worldwide.