Confusion at Marygate car park

Marygate car park equipment

 

Liberal Democrats have raised concerns over changes made to a city-centre car park ahead of this weekend’s Tour De France.

The changes, introduced earlier this week, will mean that motorists will no longer have the option to pay by mobile phone at the council-owned car park on  Marygate.

More surprisingly there is no option to pay by debit or credit card with only cash payments accepted.

Liberal Democrats say the move is a step backwards and has not been properly advertised. The changes are believed to have cost £100,000 with the installation of new ticket barriers.

Usually Labour Cabinet members are falling over themselves to have their photographs taken next to their latest vanity project. But they have been strangely quiet on this one.

The Council haven’t even formally announced the change through a media release.

And no one has yet admitted responsibility for the decision not to accept charge card payments.

The move follows the unpopular introduction of a new charge which means residents will have to pay £20 for a Minster Badge parking pass.

Cllr Ann Reid, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Transport, commented:

“The poorly advertised changes at Marygate represent a step-backwards for car parks in York as the pay by phone option will no longer be available meaning that motorists will no longer be able to use their cards to pay. As more and more services become cashless, it seems that Labour run York Council is going the opposite way.

“There are some serious questions to be answered about spending £100,000 on the changes at the same time as asking residents to pay £20 for their discount Minster Badge. I don’t think local people will believe this represents value for money.

“I am also concerned that these changes have been poorly advertised and many drivers will turn-up at Marygate expecting to be able to pay by card, but will instead have to trudge to a cash machine. Introducing the scheme just days before the busy Tour De France weekend is also questionable.”

Foreign language instructions, clearly still visible, state that credit card payments can be made.

Yesterday several bewildered visitors were wandering around the car park asking for help with “change”.

The machine claims to give “change” but whether it could always be stacked up with a big enough float of £1 coins to fulfil this promise remains to be seen,

Serious accident levels in 20 mph zones still on increase

New government statistics say there were 521 accidents on York’s road during 2013.

There were no fatalities although there were 58 serious and 463 minor accidents.

Although the wide area 20 mph speed limit was introduced towards the end of the year and will have little impact on the numbers, elsewhere in the country serious accident levels in 20 mph limit area increased by 29 per cent while slight casualties went up by 19 per cent. 

This confirms a trend form previous years.

In the same year, there was a decrease in the number of serious and slight accidents on 30mph roads and 40 mph roads. 

Serious accidents went down nine per cent on 30mph roads and seven per cent on 40 mph roads.

There was a five per cent reduction in slight accidents on 30 mph roads and a three per cent decrease on 40 mph roads.

The York council has always claimed that the main aim of the new 20 mph speed limits – which are widely ignored by drivers – was not to reduce accidents.

They have always failed to explain why they think the £0.6 million cost of the schemes could not be more usefully spent at accident blackspots.

The Institute of Advanced Motorists chief executive Simon Best commented:
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