Pay-by-phone car parking defended in Market Drayton row
Bosses of a controversial car park have defended a system which forces motorists to pay over the phone to use the site.
The system at High Street car park in Market Drayton has come under fire from drivers who have been landed with fines of £100 – with one motorist staying for only 88 seconds longer than the 10 minute grace period.
But Helen Evison, a spokeswoman for Creative Car Parking Solutions (CCPS) which manages the site, backed the process, which asks drivers to use a credit or debit card to pay on a mobile phone.
She said: "Phone and Pay is the latest form of parking management being adopted by car parks up and down the country for its reliability, efficiency and convenience.
"It offers motorists an opportunity to pay for the parking they require without needing the exact change, provides additional security through the use of cameras and gives motorists the freedom to extend their parking stay without having to return to their vehicle.
"We do appreciate that there are some people who may not have a mobile phone, and for this reason we have provided a 10-minute leeway for motorists to leave without receiving a parking charge notice.
"We do, however, dispute that tickets are being issued unfairly."
The car park is owned by the adjoining Post Office, which was previously based on Queen Street, but owners of the store have passed on management of the car park to the independent company.
But for people who have been caught by the system, it is becoming a nightmare.
One woman, who did not want to be named, said: "I paid the fine straight away, because I was having bad day and was ill – I could not be doing with all the trouble.
"All this pay for parking is killing Drayton.
"I went to Whitchurch the other day shopping – how great it was, not having to pay parking. And it is the same in Newport."
Ron Lucas, of Moss Lane in Betton, near Market Drayton, said he could not believe it when he received a £100 fine for overstaying the 10-minute period by 88 seconds.
Pauline Morgan, 71, and husband John, 81, of Carradine Close, Shawbury, were both hit by the fines when they visited the post office in December and said they could not see any signs. They believed the pay and display machines were out of order.
