Council to finally upgrade payment system in Mansfield car parks as it admits state is ‘poor’
Mansfield’s 13 council-run car parks will be upgraded to take card and contactless payments after a contract was awarded to an independent supplier of smart parking systems.
UK-based IPS Group will implement the new systems, which will include automatic number plate recognition on entry and wave-and-pay exit barriers.
It comes after Mansfield District Council admitted that it ‘recognises the need’ to upgrade due to the ‘poor condition’ of the current payment systems, which all still only take cash.
A risk assessment, completed as part of the decision to award the contract, warned that not upgrading the car parks would risk machines continuing to fail, income decreasing, and customers seeking alternative car parks that have been modernised.
The risk assessment said: “The current payment system on all of the council’s car parks is in poor condition, it does not allow for card, contactless or smart payments in the car parks.
“In addition, a large proportion of the current payment machines are failing with replacement parts obsolete or significant financial outlay to upgrade individual machines.”
Furthermore, a number of the car parks are in a generally dilapidated condition.
At the Four Seasons Shopping Centre’s council-run car park, where it only becomes apparent that the car park is cash-only when reaching the barrier, the barrier was broken and the ticket machine was taped up when an LDRS reporter visited earlier this week.
At that car park, it is not possible to reverse out upon learning that the machines only take cash, meaning that drivers have to enter and are liable to pay for at least one hour’s worth of parking, at a cost of £1.
A note on the ticket machine on entry to the car park says: “No card payments available on site. Please ring…”
When the LDRS rang the number, the operator advised ‘getting some cash while you’re out shopping’. The only alternate option was to speak to staff members at the help point located within the car park, and ask to be let out for free.
Some reviews of that car park, on parking encyclopedia Parkopedia, are scathing. One says: “We’re in 2023 and they still don’t accept card payments. Absolutely ridiculous and terrible spot for tourism.”
Another says: “Not many people have cash nowadays the no card payment stops me visiting I have difficult enough time getting cash for air machines. It’s a shame they don’t have a contactless payment method.”
But it now looks like action will be taken. The funding for the upgrade has been taken from £12.3m pot Mansfield was awarded by the government’s Towns Fund in 2021.
The plan is part of Mansfield’s Towards 2030 strategy, to improve the town centre and surrounding areas. The two multi-storey car parks in the region will be completed first, with car parks completed in descending capacity order after that.
A spokesperson for Mansfield District Council said: “We recognise the need to modernise, and we’re currently working on a Smart Parking project using funding from our Towns Fund allocation.
“This will upgrade our car parks across Mansfield to allow contactless and card payments. A contractor was appointed last month, and we expect to see this rolled out in the coming months.
“In the meantime, our hard-standing town centre car parks already support card payments through apps such as RingGo and ParktoPay.
“We’re not aware of payment issues at Four Seasons being a regular occurrence, but we do know the infrastructure needs updating to meet modern expectations, which is exactly what the Smart Parking project is designed to deliver.”