When earlier this month Peter Kilbane, the executive council member for the economy and transport, announced that every parking meter in York would become card-only, few expected to see the decision reviewed so quickly, even those with genuine concerns over the policy.
That was until a public council meeting on the 20th of February where Cllr Kilbane did exactly this, announcing that two of the city’s main carparks — Bootham Row and Castle Car Park— will continue to take cash payments for the foreseeable future. The change is a direct result of what the council called “strong resident feedback.”
Cllr Kilbane said, “While going completely cashless would have saved more money, after seeing some of the feedback we received about the importance of retaining cash payments, it was clear that going fully cashless would make York inaccessible to a number of people. This is why we have taken action and adapted our plans to ensure cash payments can continue in two of our car parks.
“We are rightly proud of our city centre and with equalities a key principle of this administration it is only right we listen to the consultation feedback and find a way so that those who need to can continue to access our city centre by paying with cash.”
Considering only 10% of the 1.5 million parking-related transactions made around the city each year are paid for with cash, this decision can be seen as a fair compromise that balances the need for the council to cut back on spending, and the need to make parking accessible to all — including residents who are unable to pay via contactless.
You can read more about this story at www.yourlocallink.co.uk.
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