Town gets 96 new parking machines

Some 96 pay and display parking machines are being installed in Reading

New parking payment machines are being installed in Reading after the old ones were taken out of service in April.

The borough council has begun the process of replacing the old pay and display machines - which allowed drivers to pay over the phone or using the RingGo app - with 96 new ones.

They will allow contactless payments by bank cards, mobile payments via apps, and about 20 of them will take cash payments.

Lead councillor for transport John Ennis said the new machines would offer "a much more convenient service" for motorists.

He said he recognised cash payment remained popular in some places, which the council said included the area around the Royal Berkshire Hospital.

"Machines will still accept cash in these locations," he said.

The machines have been bagged up for several months

The old machines were bagged up in April.

Of the 96 machines, 82 will be used for on-street parking, with the remainder being installed in off-street car parks.

The council's review of its on-street parking service found that 55% of transactions were made using the RingGo app.

RingGo's call service allows people to pay for parking without needing a smartphone.

The installation of the machines clears the way for emissions-based parking charges to be introduced, which were discussed by the council's traffic management sub-committee on Wednesday.