|
|
Richmond upon Thames Liberal Democrats:Covering the constituencies of Twickenham and Richmond Park |
Green light for solar parking meters
April 21, 2008 5:01 PM
• NEW state-of-the-art, solar-powered parking meters are set to be unveiled on the borough's streets in the coming year.
Richmond Council's Cabinet last night (14 April) backed the inclusion of the new-style parking hardware in the capital programme for 2008-09. The machines will replace all existing equipment for both on and off-street parking. They will have greatly improved security, a credit/debit card payment facility and will fully meet the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act. The system will be fully networked which means that information will be downloaded from each machine each day, to receive upgrades and any faults pinpointed at an early stage. The machines are being purchased through the Partners in Parking Group (a partnership of London Boroughs) providing a saving of about £25,000 in procurement costs. As the machines are powered by solar energy there will not only be savings in the cost of electricity but they will also help to reduce the carbon footprint of the Council. Solar-powered machines are being chosen for the £1.6m scheme as they can be installed without the need to dig up roads and pavements to lay power cables.
Cabinet Member for Traffic, Transport and Parking, Cllr David Trigg, said: "The existing equipment is nearing the end of its life with an increasing number of faults occurring. These new solar-powered machines represent a real high-tech boost for parking in the borough and also benefit the environment. It will be a more efficient and effective system, with credit and debit card payments available for the first time for both on and off-street machines, making things that much easier for people who want to pay by that method. The scheme has been thoroughly tested, improved security will help deter vandalism and theft, faults to the machines will be detected much earlier, and it will also save the Council money. It is anticipated that the new machines will be phased in over the coming year, starting next month."
What would you like to do next?
-
Subscribe for updates
Follow the party's activity on...
- Twitter:
- Liberal Democrats
- Facebook:
- Liberal Democrats
- YouTube:
- Liberal Democrats
-
Help out or donate
-
Tell us what you think