Motorists have today been alerted to important changes to parking meters in Cheltenham.

Upgrades to enable the meters to accept the new £1 coin are due to be completed over the next two weeks, said Cheltenham Borough Council.

For a short amount of time, car park users are advised to have with them old £1 coins, or small change, to enable them to pay the parking charges.

Alternatively, car park users can use PayByPhone to pay for parking in council-owned car parks Cheltenham.

Cllr Andrew McKinlay, cabinet member for built environment, said: "Cashless parking is increasingly popular with customers using our car parks, as it's both convenient and flexible.

"Once registered with the service, customers no longer need to search for change when paying to park their car.

"They can receive a text alert when their parking session is due to expire, giving them the option to extend their stay without returning to the car, reducing the risk of receiving a penalty charge notice.

"The added benefit is that this technology reduces the council's costs of cash collecting and the maintenance of expensive parking machines."

What do you think? Email mark@moosemarketingandpr.co.uk 

Readers' comments:

HM Klinkenberg: Changes to parking machines in Cheltenham does not worry me. I stopped shopping in Cheltenham years ago when parking tax became a significant source of income for the council.

I discovered the delights of Amazon and enjoy a coffee in my garden instead of the local restaurants. Saved money - no impulse buying, no petrol costs and, of course, no parking charges. Happy days!

Ian Jones: What about deaf customers?  Yet again, not thought of?

Mike Lawrence: Nailsworth, and some other locations, have free parking and full shops. You don't need a PhD to work it out.

I once sat in a meeting about parking charges and heard some council apparatchik proudly putting forward that their recent price change, to abandon the lowest price band but make the next one up, now the cheapest and give more parking time, was a really good deal for the ratepayers.

They were roundly booed at that point but that's what they did the next week. The shops there now are mostly empty, or charity or fast-food shops.

The avarice at your local town hall may need an election to press the point home.