June 2021

A £60,000 investment in three Newton Abbot car parks will see barriers removed and new cashless pay and display ticket machines installed, improving safety, reducing maintenance costs and freeing up staff to respond to other parking issues.

Cricketfield Road, Newfoundland Way and the Multi Storey car park in Sherborne Road will lose their barriers on 1 July when the new system comes into operation.

Removing the barriers should speed up parking and stop the periodic blockages that can occur if problems arise due to equipment failures.

By using the RingGo parking payment service, which now has no additional costs for residents, local people can pay by mobile, via the RingGo app or by calling or using the app.

Residents will also benefit by paying for parking in advance and can also use the RingGo service remotely to increase the time they want to park without having to return to the car park.

And to ensure people are able to pay for their parking using their preferred method, each car park will retain one machine that accepts cash.

Staff will be on hand in each of the car parks on 1 July to help motorists deal with any issues.

Executive member for Business Economy and Tourism Cllr Nina Jeffries said the improvements would benefit most people.  “The combination of removing the barriers and having cashless payment machines will speed up parking and improve safety.  If people sign up to RingGo then they will not have to touch the machines nor carry cash.”

At the same time NHS and essential staff will no longer be able to park for free following the Government’s decision to end on 21 June the temporary concession introduced in the early months of the pandemic.  All concession holders have been written to and will from the beginning of next month (1 July) have to buy a permit or pay at a machine in any car park throughout the district.