Don't force drivers to use parking apps, RAC says - BBC News

I agree entirely.
Quite apart from anything else not everyone has a smart phone (I don't and nor do I want one), and even those that do it may be unavailable for whatever reason.

Just out of interest, does anyone know the legal position if one was to park in a car park where only "App" payment was accepted but then argue one did not have a smart phone and therefore could not pay it so subsequently contacted the car park company and said "invoice me" ?

I guess they would argue in the small print that if you park there you should have the means to pay by the specified method, whether it be cash, card or app, or go elsewhere*.

(*I do just that as I rarely have a smartphone on me.)

There's an amusing cartoon in today's Daily Mail. 

2 hours ago, Justin Smith said:

Don't force drivers to use parking apps, RAC says - BBC News

I agree entirely.
Quite apart from anything else not everyone has a smart phone (I don't and nor do I want one), and even those that do it may be unavailable for whatever reason.

Just out of interest, does anyone know the legal position if one was to park in a car park where only "App" payment was accepted but then argue one did not have a smart phone and therefore could not pay it so subsequently contacted the car park company and said "invoice me" ?

I would imagine they would have to send you the invoice.

Surely a court case would throw it out as you contacted them

I've only paid to park by app once. I just avoid car parks where that is a requirement.

I also avoid camera controlled car parks due to the aggravation when the camera miss reads your plate on the way out and assumes you have overstayed.

I had it once at Blythe services on the A1. I stopped for a coffee in the morning and stopped again on my return journey in the evening. Their camera read my plate correctly at the entrance in the morning, failed to read it when I left, failed to read it again when I returned in the evening but managed to read it when I left in the evening. They sent me photographic evidence that I had stayed all day. Fortunately I had the recordings on my dash cam to show my two visits and their invoice was cancelled on appeal. I don't know how I would have proved it without the dash cam.

21 minutes ago, pcaouolte said:

I also avoid camera controlled car parks due to the aggravation when the camera miss reads your plate on the way out and assumes you have overstayed.

We have a small shopping centre in our village and the landlords have recently introduced a 1 hour time limit ostensibly to stop people parking free all day. It's foc for the 1 hour, but with ANPR which has triggered loads of false fines. The upshot is people parking absolutely anywhere but the car park, thus causing issues elsewhere!

I don't have issue with parking apps as such as long as there is another method to pay as back up. But one app for all car parks rather than the various ones depending on location does wind me up. Then you have to download the app, register, input a method of payment debit/ credit card , reg number . Could have just put £1 coins in and be done. The rare occasion I have used apps it has come in handy if I'm running late to get back to car and can add more time to the app session. 

5 hours ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

We have a small shopping centre in our village and the landlords have recently introduced a 1 hour time limit ostensibly to stop people parking free all day. It's foc for the 1 hour, but with ANPR which has triggered loads of false fines. The upshot is people parking absolutely anywhere but the car park, thus causing issues elsewhere!

We had a similar carpark in our town that no one used due to the same issues. Luckily houses were built on it. 

12 hours ago, Justin Smith said:

Don't force drivers to use parking apps, RAC says - BBC News

I agree entirely.
Quite apart from anything else not everyone has a smart phone (I don't and nor do I want one), and even those that do it may be unavailable for whatever reason.

Just out of interest, does anyone know the legal position if one was to park in a car park where only "App" payment was accepted but then argue one did not have a smart phone and therefore could not pay it so subsequently contacted the car park company and said "invoice me" ?

I would imagine that if you have contacted them ( even if stated in the small print that it is an app only parking ) if it was taken to court to increase the fine for non payment which is what they would be likely to do unless it states on there signs they don't deal any other way in a court of law. I would imagine if you had a decent judge he would basically say that if it's not stated for people to read that they don't accept payment any other way and you have made attempts to pay it then there is no case to be answered ( because you haven't tried to avoid it and they haven't stated it clearly ) so basically it could be classified as entrapment by law. Because you would be likely to enter the carpark in your vehicle before reading the sign and be fined still by the company if they used anpr system. Just a thought...

Don't worry about it 😉 once we've all got digital ID, they'll be able to bill you as soon as you enter the carpark without you having to do anything!

 

Lights blue touch paper and stands back! 😀

I have been to a few place on the North York Moors, where to pay for parking you have to use an app (possibly Ringo). The only problem is being in the middle of nowhere depending on your mobile network, you can't get any phone/data signal. In that situation what do you do? 

What also worries me is a lot of EV chargers require an app to use. What happens if you don't have your phone with you, it's flat/broken or in some remote places no signal? Hopefully when/if I buy an EV or PHEV, all charged will just need your contactless card. 

55 minutes ago, Jim H said:

all charged will just need your contactless card. 

Contactless card machines still require an internet signal to work.

1 hour ago, unofix said:

Contactless card machines still require an internet signal to work.

Yes, this is the problem I keep banging on about with EV charging in the upper Dales. Quite often we can't get a signal of either type when we're up there.

I would stick to the horse for transport. No signal required. Top up on the verge. 

2 hours ago, iantt said:

I would stick to the horse for transport. No signal required. Top up on the verge. 

How to feed your Pony at the roadside .....

That pony is outselling the petrol version in the us. 

I wouldn't be seen dead in a mach-e. ....

Or May be I would. 😂😂

OMG, is nothing sacred these days ?

The net Zero mind virus has reached to this depth. I shall have to update my last wishes to include going to the big scrap heap in the sky includes a final trip in a knackered old diesel transit that's just failed the emissions test.  😂

7 hours ago, unofix said:

OMG, is nothing sacred these days ?

The net Zero mind virus has reached to this depth. I shall have to update my last wishes to include going to the big scrap heap in the sky includes a final trip in a knackered old diesel transit that's just failed the emissions test.  😂

We shifting quite a few black mach- e to Colman Milne for conversion. So you need to hurry up😂😂😂

Well, I suppose they will be ok, they don't usually have to travel any great distance. 😉

1 hour ago, pcaouolte said:

Well, I suppose they will be ok, they don't usually have to travel any great distance. 😉

And you won't wake the dead with the engine noise. 😂

14 hours ago, unofix said:

OMG, is nothing sacred these days ?

The net Zero mind virus has reached to this depth. I shall have to update my last wishes to include going to the big scrap heap in the sky includes a final trip in a knackered old diesel transit that's just failed the emissions test.  😂

Sure I could fit a coffin in the back of my ute! 

Thinking of offering my services to our local undertaker for any family wanting to get their beloved departed to the graveside just that wee bit quicker and with a nice V8 soundtrack! 🤣

17 minutes ago, Turvey said:

Thinking of offering my services to our local undertaker for any family wanting to get their beloved departed to the graveside just that wee bit quicker

Swiftly and with style 🤣

 

those apps can be a pain, i turned up to park at one that previously used the JustPark app (which i had setup)

to find it changed to the RingGo app. queue 20mins of downloading and creating accounts 😕

maybe they could install more contactless card readers at the machines so you can easily tap your card to pay