Terry Clements Cabinet member for Planning and Transport and Mark Cordell Chief Executive of Bid4Bury at the School Yard West car park in Bury St Edmunds where it is becoming a cashless car park, motorists can pay using their smartphone.

VISITORS to two west Suffolk towns can now pay for parking in St Edmundsbury Borough Council’s off-street car parks without using cash.

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The borough council has teamed up with RingGo to offer the service in all of their off-street car parks – 11 in Bury St Edmunds and five in Haverhill.

To use the service, which costs a flat rate of 20p in addition to the car park charge, motorists can call 020 3046 0010, send a text message, use a smartphone app or pay via the myRingGo website at www.myringgo.co.uk/home

An optional text alert telling you when your parking is due to expire costs 10p and you can top up your visit by mobile phone at any time before it expires. No tickets are issued as parking attendants check that vehicles have paid using special mobile phones linked to the central data system.

Councillor Terry Clements, cabinet member for planning and transport at the borough council, said: “St Edmundsbury has a proactive car parking service that appreciates customers’ needs.

“This new way of paying means you don’t have to visit the ticket machine or find the correct change. It also offers peace of mind about not overstaying, and the convenience of being able to extend your stay if you need to.

“I would certainly like to have the opportunity to stay longer at times in Bury.”

Mark Cordell, chief executive of town centre improvement group Bid4Bury, said the new service provided “additional flexibility” for visitors to extend their stay in the town.

“Our businesses tell me that they lose customers when they have to rush off for fear of getting a parking fine, so the new scheme should address this issue. I am delighted that the borough council has responded so positively to this feedback from local businesses.”

However, he added: “This is a step in the right direction, but the ultimate completely flexible approach would be a pay-as-you-exit scheme and I know this is the view of many of our businesses. I would like to think this would, in the medium to long term, be achievable.”

Andrew Denny, chairman of Bury St Edmunds Chamber of Commerce and Industry, also said he would like to see a pay on exit scheme in Bury.

He said: “It’s nice to have an additional way for people to pay for their parking. I don’t think there will be huge take up. It is welcome, but it’s not as good as a pay-on exit-scheme which a town the size of Bury should have.”

Mr Denny did not believe very many people would use the new service due to the extra cost.

He added that he thought the new service might actually lead to a slight reduction in car parking revenue in the borough because those who use it would pay for a short amount of
parking and only top up if needed, whereas before people were perhaps paying for more parking in case they needed to.

For more information visit www.stedmundsbury.gov.uk/cashlesscarparking