ANPR Car Parks
Author
Discussion

Camaro

Original Poster:

1,432 posts

206 months

Wednesday 8th October 2014
quotequote all
For some reason my local council has decided it was time to update from the pay and display style car park ticketing system, to a new ANPR style pay on exit system.

This system has been introduced and has caused several people problems, mainly the elderly, either not understand touch screen technology or not knowing their registration number.

Now I'm starting to notice an issue with a car park I use most mornings on the way to work. According to the signs you get free 10 mins parking to use the recycling facilities, this is great as it take me less than that to get to the shop and back to my car. Being a pretty worrying type though, every morning that I've popped to the shop, I've gone to kiosk thing and whacked in my number plate, almost every day it has stated number plate not found.

My question is, are you obligated to inform the system of how long you have been there? There is an option for registering your time spent at the car park and then paying the fee that you believe you have stayed, surely most people will opt for the 10 minutes or less option.

Basically, I think the whole system is a bit over the top technology for what was a simple pay and display car park where every morning I just put 20p in a machine safe in the knowlegde I wouldn't get a ticket. Even though a traffic warden at 7:15am is an unlikely sight.


Impasse

15,099 posts

272 months

Wednesday 8th October 2014
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Every time I use the T5 car park its ANPR system mistakes a G on my registration plate for a 6. No idea why, perfectly legal and normal plate/font etc. Maybe your council uses the same flawed system. Mind you, it's a bit late to challenge your council now. They'll have to raise funds (by extra fines) to finish paying for the system before they think about replacing it.

MrPicky

1,233 posts

298 months

Wednesday 8th October 2014
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I wonder what would happen if people started reversing into and out of these car parks, their "evidence" would look pretty strange.

B'stard Child

31,168 posts

277 months

Wednesday 8th October 2014
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MrPicky said:
I wonder what would happen if people started reversing into and out of these car parks, their "evidence" would look pretty strange.
I really do like that idea - I like it a lot!!

Camaro

Original Poster:

1,432 posts

206 months

Wednesday 8th October 2014
quotequote all
I wondered whether I was being daft this morning. My number plate starts RO08, so tried both R008 (thats two naughts) and RO08 and neither were logged.

Mr Taxpayer

438 posts

151 months

Wednesday 8th October 2014
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Whereabouts is this? Remind me not to go there smile

Iang84

962 posts

197 months

Thursday 9th October 2014
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If the plate screw is near the O it might read it as an 8 eg R808 as has happened to me a few times at the O2 arena

selym

9,581 posts

202 months

Thursday 9th October 2014
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Camaro said:
I wondered whether I was being daft this morning. My number plate starts RO08, so tried both R008 (thats two naughts) and RO08 and neither were logged.
That'll be the Sainsbury's or Waitrose carpark in Marlow then? The queues waiting for the machines in the Sainsbury's carpark are horrendous; lots of (as you said) older people not sure of how to use them, number plates not being recognised and general slow finger skills. As has been mentioned already in another thread, machines which are set up to deliver change DON'T!
I've not even gambled with the 10 minute free offer, I can guarantee that I'll be on one of those bailiff programmes within the year!

Camaro

Original Poster:

1,432 posts

206 months

Thursday 9th October 2014
quotequote all
Hey Buddy!

Nah, this is the one in Bourne End, up the side of the BP garage. Was perfect as a Pay and Display and worked fine. Now I'm not sure if I'm risking a parking fine in the post or not?!

I've given up using the Sainsbuy's one in Marlow.

selym

9,581 posts

202 months

Thursday 9th October 2014
quotequote all
Camaro said:
Hey Buddy!

Nah, this is the one in Bourne End, up the side of the BP garage. Was perfect as a Pay and Display and worked fine. Now I'm not sure if I'm risking a parking fine in the post or not?!

I've given up using the Sainsbuy's one in Marlow.
I drove up that way the other night, probably about 6.30, just because. Anyway, I turned around outside that car park and there was a masive queue at the machine. I guess they are phasing out any human interaction in car parks round our way now.

RobbyJ

1,824 posts

253 months

Friday 10th October 2014
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The one in Marlow is bonkers. So many people struggle to use it. I'm a blue badge holder and they now say you have to specially register the badge with Wycombe District Council to be able to park in the car park. The system is flawed as right or wrong all this encourages you to do is park on the double yellows on the other side of the road.

I parked there the other day without the blue badge and despite my career in tech and I.T I still managed to cock up using the machine and managed to only pay for 30 mins so it was a very quick dash round Sainsburys!

covboy

2,593 posts

205 months

Friday 10th October 2014
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One near to me has been up and running for over 12 months now and the still have to employ people to oversee the machines and explain to people how they work.

selym

9,581 posts

202 months

Friday 10th October 2014
quotequote all
RobbyJ said:
The one in Marlow is bonkers. So many people struggle to use it. I'm a blue badge holder and they now say you have to specially register the badge with Wycombe District Council to be able to park in the car park. The system is flawed as right or wrong all this encourages you to do is park on the double yellows on the other side of the road.

I parked there the other day without the blue badge and despite my career in tech and I.T I still managed to cock up using the machine and managed to only pay for 30 mins so it was a very quick dash round Sainsburys!
I was stood in the queue the other day with my lad, and an old man and his wife were trying to operate the machine. The touchscreen was wet so he couldn't operate the '1' area of the screen and was getting irate. He dropped the F bomb in his upper class style, which I and the boy both found hilarious. His wife then told him to let her have a go. She just didn't know her plate at all so they just walked away.

It worked straight away for us; I think his fingers were dead or something equally ridiculous. He was later spotted in an even bigger queue at the other machine, probably spewing bile!!

Cyberprog

2,326 posts

214 months

Friday 10th October 2014
quotequote all
Camaro said:
For some reason my local council has decided it was time to update from the pay and display style car park ticketing system, to a new ANPR style pay on exit system.

This system has been introduced and has caused several people problems, mainly the elderly, either not understand touch screen technology or not knowing their registration number.

Now I'm starting to notice an issue with a car park I use most mornings on the way to work. According to the signs you get free 10 mins parking to use the recycling facilities, this is great as it take me less than that to get to the shop and back to my car. Being a pretty worrying type though, every morning that I've popped to the shop, I've gone to kiosk thing and whacked in my number plate, almost every day it has stated number plate not found.

My question is, are you obligated to inform the system of how long you have been there? There is an option for registering your time spent at the car park and then paying the fee that you believe you have stayed, surely most people will opt for the 10 minutes or less option.

Basically, I think the whole system is a bit over the top technology for what was a simple pay and display car park where every morning I just put 20p in a machine safe in the knowlegde I wouldn't get a ticket. Even though a traffic warden at 7:15am is an unlikely sight.
These are in fact the best systems that can be installed, they charge a fair amount for what you've used, and if it doesn't know about your number plate, well, you know you've had a free park smile

Matthen

1,459 posts

182 months

Friday 10th October 2014
quotequote all
They've added ANPR to the car park in the middle of town here. You still get given a ticket on entrance, and have to feed the machine to escape on exit.

When I saw my plate printed on the ticket, I assumed I'd be able to get out without winding the window down. Apparently not!

Not really sure what the point is.

Roo

11,504 posts

238 months

Friday 10th October 2014
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Our local Sainsbury has an ANPR enforced car park.

It can't read the registration on the car.

rich888

2,610 posts

230 months

Friday 10th October 2014
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One point bearing in mind here is the number of car owners sent a bill for staying longer than the permitted time because the ANPR system wasn't able to read the numberplate as you exited the car park, possibly because there was a car in front and behind of you. So it reads the time you entered, but not the time you left. Leaving you with a big bill unless you can prove otherwise.

I mention this because a colleague of mine was sent an invoice (looking much like a fine) for over-staying in a car park, and was only able to prove otherwise because the car in question had a tracking device fitted. How many average drivers have this type of kit installed in their car?

This is a badly flawed system considering there was nothing much wrong with the old pay and display system which was bought and paid for - how much did this new wondrous ANPR parking system cost?