North York Moors National Park Authority (NYMNPA) is planning to introduce cameras in its car parks to stop motorists parking without paying.
The authority will trial an automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) system at Newton-under-Roseberry Car Park, near Great Ayton, where almost one in five drivers fail to buy a ticket.
The system could then be rolled out to other car parks if it proves a success.
Lucas St John, NYMNPA commercial manager, told members at a meeting today (MONDAY) that non-payment cost the authority £25,000 for the car park near Roseberry Topping alone.
He added: “Unfortunately, we’re seeing our non-compliance percentages rise.
“The reason I’m pursuing this avenue is that I feel we’ve got a position now where this isn’t sustainable for us to operate in with the current environment the authority finds itself in, the loss of revenue we’re seeing at our locations and not having a mechanism to challenge this.”
Mr St John said the authority was not looking to create additional revenue through the issuing of excessive fines from the system, just recovering the cost of the ticket.
He added: “We’re looking at making sure our operations are fair to all our visitors when it comes to payment and accessing our sites.
“We don’t want to create an environment where those that are paying are subsidising those that aren’t.”
The ANPR system would reconcile vehicle data against payments made via the existing parking machines and pay-by-phone system.
Pfficers hope that as well as improving compliance, it would reduce vandalism and anti-social behaviour at the car park with the meeting told that thousands of pounds worth of damage was caused to the Newton-under-Roseberry Car Park toilets at the weekend.
The 12-month pilot project was backed by members.
Councillor George Jabbour said: “I fully support this suggestion.
“It’s not driven by profit, and even if it was, averting losses and making sure we maximise value for the taxpayer is not a bad thing because from a reputational perspective we’re trying to ensure fairness for all those who are assessing the national park.”
Councillor John Ritchie added: “It’s quite simply wrong that we expect members of the public who do pay their car parking charges to subsidise those who choose not to pay.”
The authority believes that the costs of installing the ANPR system pilot would be recovered within the year-long trial period by the increase in parking fees received.
Officers also hope some staff time savings would be generated from car park wardens not having to undertake physical enforcement work at
Newton-under-Roseberry.
Rotary Club of Northallerton appeals for community project ideas
“My mum saved two lives through organ donation” – daughter urges families to talk about wishes
Your email address will not be published.
*
*
© Hambleton Today. All Rights Reserved. | Legal | Privacy Policy
