Parking Privilege

Am I alone in trying to come to grips with technology encroaching on the parking scene?

In their day, the now old fashioned parking meters at the kerbside took me an age to understand. Now I am faced with all manner of arrangements to allow me to park and understand the options I have to pay for the privilege.

This one asks me to tap in my registration details before I put money in. That’s alright because I can remember my car number without problem. But first time I came across on of these payment meters was in France and I was driving a rented car. So back across the car park I trudged to read (and write down) the car number and then back to the meter.

Then there are those which give you the option to pay by card or cash, and maybe give you change, or not, when you opt for cash.

Or you can be invited to text details on your mobile of the spot where you are parking and how long you wish to stay. That’s the one I always find most confusing. Fine, the system stores details of your card and your car, and in principle it should be simple and straightforward. Not to me! I always find I need to have more than one attempt at registering where I am.

One time I thought I would make it easy and downloaded the relevant app on my mobile. Straightforward, I thought. Until I found I could not get a mobile signal strong enough to open the app in the particular car park.

I think the arrangement I favour most, but which still uses a payment meter of one kind or another, is that which photographs my car number plate on the way in, registers the details against the ticket issued, and will automatically lift the exit barrier as I approach it, having paid at what they call a payment station on my way back to the car.