Forum Topic

Parking by Phone

Can someone clarify the story on the home page.Can you only park if you have a smartphone or a mobile phone?Or can you still pay by cash or even by card at a machine.Whilst I have a smartphone, I struggle to use it outdoors and often cannot read the screen but found today that the App only works on phones less than 15 months old. Mine is 2 years.My daughters phone is 6 months old but the app would not work due to insufficient memory and would have to ditch her work apps or banking apps to facilitate this.But more to the point what about the thousands of older people who do not or cannot use a smartfone or mobile phone particularly outdoors when wearing gloves or in the rain or a cold car?It's far from uncommon or is this yet another example of back door ageism that seems to be rooting in this  part of London which in my mind is as despicable as racism.

Raymond Havelock ● 2067d16 Comments

I have received a reply to my complaint about the imposition of cashless parking in L.B. Hounslow. The 'consultation' was carried out in 2017 and spoke to 101 people! Yes, out of a borough population of over 270,000 people, just 101 people were 'consulted' and  apparently carried the day. How on earth can that be right? They even have the nerve to talk about 'mitigation measures' for those of us who do not have mobiles, apparently we have to 'phone a contact no. (on what if you haven't a mobile?) and advisors will direct you to the nearest Pay Point to where you want to park, or there will be shops where you can purchase vouchers. The problem I see is that that while you are faffing around at a Pay Point trying to pay you run the risk of getting a parking ticket as you've had to leave you car. Oh! and apparently this is all hunky dory in Barnet isn't that good? They even kindly give a link for you to see how great that is.https://www.barnet.gov.uk/citizen-home/parking-roads-and-pavements/Parking/cashless-parking-and-parking-vouchers.htm

Vanessa Smith ● 2038d

My eyesight's fine and I'm physically OK - but don't have and don't want a mobile phone.  It's as simple as that.  I guess that parking will be free for those of us who cannot use this clearly discriminatory system - Or will the Council be giving us all an appropriate mobile device - or even resurrecting phone boxes!  Interesting that this new "service" appears at the same time as a proposal to increase parking fines!

Pete Harding ● 2064d

Glad that you got clarification you needed.Do check though if you park in neighbouring boroughs as they all dfiffer to a degree.Almost got caught out in Slough last week - plenty of disabled spaces in the local car park but noticed the small 'charges apply to ALL users' notice. No objection to paying but I would like some consistency.

N V Brooks ● 2064d

I do have an ancient Nokia but that wouldn't work with this new system.  There's  one advantage of being disabled, it is the Blue Badge!  Who'd have thought that, eh?    A very helpful man Mr Mark Frost at LBH emailed me the parking rules for holders of Blue Badges:-Where you can park with a Blue Badge in Hounslow• free at any public parking meters or pay and display bays• up to three hours on single or double yellow lines• disabled bays for as much time as you need• on-street resident permit/ shared use bays within Hounslow• all Hounslow car parks in the pay and display or disabled bays.It seems I can just arrive and park - that's it, done and dusted!    I am extremely grateful. However, it is very unfair on other older folk who can move about much better that I can but then can't operate the parking rules because they don't have a modern smart phone.  Often if they did have one, they don't understand how to work it with old, stiff fingers.  It really is a nonsense.  Also this body of older people is growing by the day so Councils need to make proper provision for them.

Jennifer Selig ● 2064d

That is precisely the point that the twerps that dreamed this classic up are missing - not only will I not get an App - I won't even buy a 'phone, I have no need of one.

Vanessa Smith ● 2064d

Do not have a parking app and have no intention of getting one - if I have to jump through hoops to park somewhere, I won't bother and will go elsewhere - it will be local businesses that will suffer.

Graham Thorpe ● 2064d

Failing eyesight is correctable with angled things called spectacles.Driving with arthritic hands is quite a lot easier and cars can be adapted for more severe cases.Its fiddling with touch sensitive screens or tiny buttons that becomes very tricky.Driving is for many older people and those who get ailments rather than disabilities,  often the only means of getting about and continuing a normal day to day life and being able to hold a job down.

Raymond Havelock ● 2065d

I'd have thought arthritic hands and failing eyesight would make driving itself increasingly difficult, not just paying for parking.

Peter Evans ● 2065d

We keep hearing about the ratios of mobiles to people.  Only it wasn't until I was given an old Nokia which loads of people could prompt me with when I had problems that I managed to use it.  I had two mobiles before that that I couldn't use.  We also bought several for our parents that we thought were easy and useful but they never used them.

Philippa Bond ● 2066d

Was shopping in Whitton (L.B. Richmond) this morning. You can pay by debit/credit card - you put the card in, decide how long you want to pay for, enter your pin - and then you get your ticket and the card returned, pretty much like an ATM. So if anyone from Hounslow council sees this, or even cares, perhaps they'd like to tell us why they can't offer this service? Suggest we all e-mail the cabinet member responsible Cllr. Hanif Khan -  hanif.khan@hounslow.gov.uk

Vanessa Smith ● 2066d

Have you tried to use a phone with cold or arthritic hands or reduced dexterity?Hard fact of life is that no matter how easy it is when younger, the slightest changes as one ages make simple matter of a fact things all of a sudden much harder.My wife eyesight is reducing in range. She is hugely upset that she cannot read her computer screen or the ingredients on things in the shops, but it is quite a normal thing for her age.This really is a nasty form of agism and Councillors and MPs alike should not be going down this road.We as a society will almost all be old one day. So why this onslaught against older people from reducing facilities recreational to making getting around even harder than it already is.

Raymond Havelock ● 2066d

No app needed it is true but what about those without mobiles?

N V Brooks ● 2066d

From my experience elsewhere with PaybyPhone parking, you don't have to have an App on a Smart phone. You can use a normal mobile phone to call their number and key in the information, which I've usually found to be far quicker than walking to and from the coin machine. Once you've entered your card and vehicle details for the first time, it remembers them so all you need to put in is the location number on the parking sign and the time you want. You then get a reminder text so you can extend your parking by phone without having to go back to your car.

Peter Evans ● 2066d

It is, like Ealing, smartphone app only (they do publish a regular phone number but it takes forever to get a response from the voice platform).So, no phone (preferably smartphone) = no parking in Hounslow.So much for equality of access.

N V Brooks ● 2067d

My old telephone cannot download apps; I use the bus and trains as often as possible. I can see me never using my car to shop in a high street again.

Christopher Hugh Dakers ● 2067d

As I understand it -  all parking is going 'cashless' and you need to download an App. There doesn't seem to be any provision for being able to swipe and pay by debit/credit as you can on the buses and trains. I have already complained about the fact that this discriminates against those who do not have a smart 'phone and who - as you say will probably be mainly older people. For a council that bangs on and on about 'diversity' and 'inclusivity' it stinks.

Vanessa Smith ● 2067d