Removal of parking machines accelerated in Richmond

Richmond Council announced it has brought forward the removal of ‘pay and display' machines following a surge in scams and decline in their use.

In the last year, there have been reports of criminals distracting residents using parking meters in order to steal bank cards.  

There are also fewer people using machines due to hygiene concerns in the pandemic, opting to go cashless and use payment apps instead.

Parking machines are being removed from Richmond

As a result, the policy for removing the machines was approved by the Transport and Air Quality Committee in March 2020.  

Nearby properties will be sent letters with details of the removal and instructions on how to pay by mobile phone.   

Instead of using parking machines visitors to those streets will be able to pay for parking with a credit or debit card using mobile phone app RingGo. 

Residents can also use visitor permits for guests.  

The first 50 parking machines are set to go before the end of March, and plans are in place to plant trees in the spaces left.

Cllr Alexander Ehmann, Chair of the Transport and Air Quality Committee, said:  

“Last March, the Council agreed that a number of parking machines should be removed in response to their declining use and the increasing uptake of RingGo. Following a recent upsurge in parking machine fraud and heightened COVID-19 hygiene concerns associated with the use of cash and physical terminals, the Council have decided to bring forward the decommissioning of some of the least used terminals.     

“These changes reflect the changing habits of our residents and also have the added benefit of freeing up important street space for pedestrians and additional tree planting.”  

You can email ParkingPolicy@richmondandwandsworth.gov.uk to find out more or call 020 8487 5234.  

For help with your Richmond Card or registering with RingoGo please visit richmond.gov.uk//richmondcard or call 020 8891 1411.