Hounslow Council Back Tracks on App Only Parking
Introducing payment by card in bays in shopping areas
Sign on Devonshire Road in Chiswick shows that card payment was only recently withdrawn
December 12, 2023
Hounslow Council has decided to introduce payment by card for parking after a string of complaints from residents unable to use the parking app.
The council has been rolling out payment through PayByPhone and the withdrawal of parking ticket machines which use coins since 2016 in an attempt to reduce costs and curb thefts. The system had already been introduced in council-owned car parks and more recently machines in on-street bays in shopping centres such as those on Turnham Green Terrace and Devonshire Road had been converted with drivers informed that cash payment was no longer available. Local retailers were annoyed that the new system provided no way for visitors to be made aware of the availability of free Stop and Shop parking.
However, for vulnerable or less tech-savvy residents the change caused complications, with PayByPhone requiring people to book spaces by calling providers or through an app.
Those who were hard of hearing or did not own a smartphone said that they “felt discriminated against” by the council’s decision.
The need to book through the app also effectively removed the free parking option as a booking charge of 30p was payable.
Following the negative feedback, Hounslow Council says it is running a what it describes as a 6-month trial at selected car parks around the borough where people can pay by card for their parking.
The trial will start in the new year introducing card parking payment terminals across 13 car parks and 7 park and shop sites. These include Turnham Green Terrace between Chiswick Common Road and Chiswick High Road and Lion Way in Brentford between Half Acre and Market Place. Devonshire Road does not appear on the list of locations.
The new terminals will provide a contactless card or phone payment service, allowing users to enter their vehicle registration to validate their session at the correct tariff.
They can accommodate 30-minute free parking sessions at stop and shop locations as well as emissions-based charging. The trial will help the council decide if the scheme will be expanded borough-wide.
Machine in Chiswick showing recently changed instructions for payment
The council described the move to PayByPhone as ‘largely successful’ with approximately 35,000 parking sessions booked per week.
Councillor Salman Shaheen, Cabinet Member for Recreation, Public Space and Parking, said, “Hounslow is a listening council. We know the uptake of the PayByPhone system has been very smooth for the majority of residents.
“However, there are a small number of residents who’ve written to us concerned about digital inclusion. This is something we take very seriously, which is why we are launching a trial cashless parking terminal option using card. We are a borough that stands for inclusion and not exclusion.
“Through the trial we encourage users to provide us with feedback and the data we collect will help us to make a balanced and informed decision, always keeping the residents needs as a priority.”
PayPoint also operates more than 200 sites across the borough which already give drivers the option to pay via cash or card, removing the need for a phone. PayByPhone will still operate in these locations in addition to new on-site card payment terminals.
List of car parks and streets with the new card terminal options:
On-street
Spring Grove Road (Isleworth) – between Villers Road and London Road
Strand on the Green (Chiswick) – outside 106-108
Turnham Green Terrace (Chiswick) – between Chiswick Common Road and Chiswick High Road, west side
Lion Way (Brentford) – between Half Acre and Market Place.
Thornbury Road (Isleworth) – between St Mary’s Crescent and Jersey Road, both sides
Bath Road (Hounslow) – shopping area between Rosemary Avenue and Manor Avenue
South Street (Isleworth) – between Upper Square and Twickenham Road
Car parks
Bath Road (Chiswick)
Bell Road (Hounslow)
Bethany Waye (Bedfont)
Bridge House (Feltham)
Boston Manor (Brentford)
Chiswick Common Road (Chiswick)
Inwood Road (Hounslow)
Kingsley Road (Hounslow)
Montague Road East (Hounslow)
Montague Road West (Hounslow)
Prince Regent (Hounslow)
Redlees (Isleworth)
Wisdom Court (Isleworth)
Rory Bennett - Local Democracy Reporter