Resident Parking Permit Trial (Digital)

Overview

It has long been an ambition for the Council to switch over to a digital system for its parking permits.

We are now in a position to run a digital parking permit pilot - trialled in Lower Caversham as part of a Council initiative to create a simpler, more flexible and more responsive service for local residents.

Key to the pilot will be feedback from local residents who live in the trial area and, if successful, it could be rolled out boroughwide.

Digital permits are registered on parking systems, which means wardens on patrol can instantly check on their handheld devices if a vehicle holds a valid permit or not. It means no physical permit needs to be displayed on the windscreen.

Paperless permits have been successfully used in London Boroughs and other towns and cities for a number of years now. They provide a more responsive service for local residents because they can be issued instantly and without delay or break in cover. Currently people can wait up to 14 days for a physical permit to be posted.

Digital permits can reduce complaints to the parking enforcement team, as the scheme is not compromised by physical discs falling from windscreens, or visitor scratch cards being used incorrectly.

Importantly, digital permits also mean visitor permits can be used by the hour, instead of by the half day as is currently the case. This offers residents more flexibility and, as a result, better value for money.

The Council is proposing piloting the scheme in Zone 02R in Lower Caversham, covering the following streets: Ardler Road, Brackstone Close, Briants Avenue, Champion Road, Coldicutt Street, George Street, Gosbrook Road, Heron Island, Kings Road, Marsack Street, Mill Green, Mill Road, Montague Street, Nelson Road, Piggots Road, Queens Road, Send Road, Southview Avenue, St Johns Road and Washington Road.

The zone was selected because it is well defined and reasonably sized, with 584 current resident permit holders. Residents in the zone would continue to apply for their permits online under the pilot, just as they do now.

The proposed pilot scheme has already been announced to the public following a report to the Council’s Traffic Management Sub Committee on 15 June, where the plans were approved.

The next step is a public consultation launching the beginning of August, running for 21 days.

Feedback will then be considered by the same Committee on 14 September, ahead of the pilot being implemented in the autumn. The Committee will again consider feedback from local residents in the pilot area before Councillors consider whether it should be implemented boroughwide.

There are currently 19 residents parking zones in Reading, made up of 16,000 households and 12,000 parking spaces.