Council Set To Pilot ‘Pay On Foot’ Car Park

by Gráinne Connolly

A ‘pay on foot’ model is set to be introduced in one off-street car park in Magherafelt, ahead of any final decision by Mid Ulster District Council on the future strategy for its off-street car parking.
 

The Council’s Environment Committee this week recommended the pilot scheme, which will see Central Car Park in Magherafelt move from ‘pay and display’ to ‘pay on foot’, where the first 2 hours of parking are free.

After 2 hours, the standard tariff of 40p per hour, which has not risen in the last 6 years, will apply.

‘Pay on foot’, where users pay when they return to their vehicle and so are only charged for the length of time they have actually parked, is considered a more user-friendly mechanism and also reduces the need for parking enforcement.

How the pilot scheme works, its cost and income implications, will then determine if the same model is applied to other off-street car parks in Cookstown, Dungannon and Magherafelt.

An amendment to the existing £1 for 5 hours parking fee to £1 for 3 hours is also to be implemented from 1 June 2018 in those off-street car parks which are currently charged.
 

The Council will consider the Committee’s recommendations at its meeting on 26 April 2018.