Contactless payment is now up and running in car parks across the Folkestone & Hythe district.
It has been added to 41 of the council's 61 pay and display machines - all of which still accept cash. Motorists will also be able to continue using the RingGo service to pay for their parking.
The minimum value for card payment is set at £1.40 in order to reduce card payment fees. Customers wishing to pay amounts below £1.40 need to pay cash or use RingGo.
Disabled badge holders will continue to have three hours free parking in all car parks and simply need to scan their badges at the terminals. Blue Badge holders wishing to continue using Sandgate Road car park should also scan their badge.
In another upgrade, the district's first Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system is to be installed at Sandgate Road car park in Folkestone.
Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) allows cameras to identify and record the vehicle number plate as the motorist approaches the car park. The barrier automatically raises and admits the customer. The customer then goes about their business and returns to make payment.
As the motorist approaches the exit, the ANPR camera will identify the vehicle, confirm the payment has been made, and allow the vehicle to exit. As an added feature, users can also register online and have access to automatic payment.
This will be trialled for a year, with the potential to roll out ANPR to other car parks or replace the remaining 20 machines with new ones that will accept card payments. Cash payment options will be reviewed at the same time.
Cllr Ray Field, Cabinet Member for Transport and Digital Transformation, said: "Being able to use contactless to pay for parking at the majority of our car parks is good news for residents and the many visitors we are seeing this summer.
"I am sure lots of people will be pleased to know they can still use coins or RingGo as well."
Leader Cllr David Monk added: "We only made the decision to make these changes a few months ago and I am delighted the work has been done so quickly. Adding these additional payment facilities will improve usage and make significant operational savings."
Work continues on installing 94 charging points for electric vehicles in 25 of the district's 27 car parks (some car parks are unsuitable), with 53 points at 14 sites completed so far.
F&HDC has partnered with Kent County Council and five other local authorities for the roll out, which will see one of the largest networks of consistent charging points. The new charging points are being installed by Connected Kerb, one of the UK's biggest providers.
Visit folkestone-hythe.gov.uk/parking for more information about car parks in the district, including how to get a resident or visitor parking permit.
Date published: 16 August 2022