Council to rip out 'spare' parking meters

Rotherham Borough Council plans to remove “extra” machines n all streets and car parks with more than one parking machine,  to cut down on maintenance costs.

It follows the launch of a park-by-phone scheme last month which means that motorists can now pay parking fees via their mobile phone by debit or credit card.

The council says that scrapping 29 machines across the town will save it more than £8,500 in annual maintenance, while a further £5,800 will be saved by avoiding having to adapt the machines to take new coins.

New 5pm and 10p coins being issued this year will be made from different metals and more than ten per cent thicker at 1.9mm in depth.

A report to councillors this week also noted that the introduction of “cashless” parking meant that parking attendants were no longer required to allow motorists to park for free when machines were out of action.

“When customers make contact regarding these matters, they are advised to either use the cashless system or park their vehicles elsewhere,” said the report.

This policy is expected to save the council up to £4,000 a year.

The report added: “Before the machines are taken out of use it will be necessary to review the signage which is currently in place which instructs customers where the machines are located.

“The cost  of this exercise is likely to be in the hundreds of pounds, rather than thousands.

“Provision has been made in the Parking Services budget 2010/11 for this purpose.”

Extra pay-and-display machines will be removed from the following car parks: Civic; Drummond Street; Fitzwilliam Road; York Road; Wellgate multi storey.

They will be removed from the following streets: Catherine Street; Ship Hill (outside Eric Manns Building); Eastwood Lane; Main Street; Mansfield Road; Morpeth Street; Norfolk Street; Percy Street; Upper Wellgate; High Street; Grove Road; Westgate; Canklow Road; Sheffield Road; Masbrough Street and Chapel Walk.