North Yorkshire Council is set to implement a substantial investment package of almost £2.5 million to upgrade its car parking facilities across the county.
The initiative aims to deliver much-needed improvements, making car parks easier to use, safer, and more efficient.
The council's executive Member for Transport - Councillor Keane Duncan - says the money will be used to deliver a range of improvements including the modernisation of the ticket machines.
All 430 pay and display machines in the county will be replaced. The new machines will, for the first time, accept card, cash, and app payments.
Councillor Duncan says the new machines will be ticket-less reducing the need for staff visits and helping to save the authority £590,000 a year.
The council says that the current stock of 429 pay and display machines, inherited from former district councils, are ageing, with 90% being over 10 years old and some having reached the end of their working life.
The council reports that its pay and display machines and associated apps handled over 7 million transactions in the last financial year (2023/24), generating approximately £15 million in revenue. The replacement project is expected to save up to £587,474 per year after installation, contributing to the council’s overall savings targets. These savings include potential benefits from joining the National Parking Platform (NPP).
The capital investment required for the machine replacement and lighting upgrades is £2.462 million and is proposed to be funded from the LGR Reserve. The council anticipates a payback period of four years for this investment.
The council emphasises that upgrading these machines is a win-win situation, resulting in better facilities for users through easier payment options and improved lighting, while also generating savings for the council. The ticketless nature of the new machines aligns with the council’s environmental objectives by reducing paper usage and the need for ticket replenishment.
In addition to the machine upgrades, the council is also taking steps to enhance safety and security in its car parks by replacing existing lighting with new LED units. These new lights will be less prone to failure and easier to repair. The council is allocating an additional £400,000 for this lighting replacement in surface car parks, addressing the issue of ageing sodium lighting and lamp columns where necessary.
Spare parts for the current sodium lighting are becoming increasingly difficult to source. The new 80w LED lanterns are expected to be more energy-efficient than the current 150w lanterns, potentially saving approximately £85 per lamp per year based on an estimated 4273 hours of operation.
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