Cashless parking service set for Athlone next month
Athlone is one of the urban areas in Westmeath earmarked for the introduction of a brand new cashless payment system which will enable motorists to pay for their parking space via mobile phone.
The new system, which will be complementary to the existing Pay and Display model in the town, is due to be introduced early next month by Westmeath County Council.
A detailed powerpoint presentation on the new system was delivered to members at the March meeting of Athlone-Moate Municipal District this week by Ciara Donovan, from Payzone Ireland, who will manage the new service.
Ms Donovan told members that the cashless payment system, called Parkingtag.ie, is now operating across 14 local authorities in Dublin, Wicklow, Laois and Sligo and accounts for 55% of all parking payments in Dublin city alone.
“At the end of the day this system is about providing a better customer service,” she said “and we will be looking after all the signage associated with the introduction of this new regime in Athlone.”
Ms. Donovan outlined a number of ways in which motorists can pay for parking using their mobile phone.
These include one-time parking, which would useful for tourists or for those who do not visit Athlone on a regular basis; a charge to mobile service whereby customers will have the parking fee charged directly to their mobile phone bill or their credit and there will also be facilities to park by app, by text, or by phone.
There was a broad welcome to the proposed new service from Councillors, with cllrs John Dolan and Vinny McCormack describing it as “progress.” However, Cllr McCormack wanted to know if there had been “any issues” with the service in other areas, and if extra resources would be needed to administer it.
Ciara Donovan said there had been “very few issues” with the service, and she did not envisage that any extra resources would be needed, as she clarified that the parking tag is fully integrated with the traffic warden's handheld device which enables them to ascertain if a motorist has paid a parking fee once the licence plate number is entered.
Director of Services, Barry Kehoe, told the meeting that parkingtag.ie had been chosen by Westmeath County Council as part of a procurement process and they would be entering into a one-year contract with them, after which the system will be reviewed. “I think the new system will be very beneficial to motorists as many of us find ourselves struggling to get coins when we want to park.”
One of the benefits of the new system is that motorists will be able to use it to park across Westmeath and also in other towns and cities where it is currently operating.
Staying indoors? Keep up to date with our epaper (a full digital edition of the Westmeath Independent) here:
https://www.westmeathindependent.ie/epaper/subscription