New parking arrangements at High Wycombe barrier-controlled car parks

Buckinghamshire Council is introducing new parking arrangements at the Swan and Easton Street Multi-Storey car parks, and at the Handy Cross Park & Ride site.

Over the last 12 months, there have been significant faults with the barriers at these locations, leading to reduced availability of space, inconvenience to customers, implications for the Swan Theatre and to other businesses in the town centre and at the Handy Cross hub.

The new arrangements will remove the barrier system(s) and instead replace them with payment machines – similar to the surface car parks in High Wycombe and surrounding areas. In addition, a mobile phone payment method RingGo is being introduced. Payment via this channel can be made as early as Saturday 18 March. Introducing RingGo offers more flexibility and provides an improvement to the overall parking experience for customers. 

The removal of barriers at these car parks will take place over the next two weeks, starting with Handy Cross Park & Ride car park, the Swan, and then Easton Street. New payment machines will be installed week commencing Monday 3 April.

From Saturday 18 March and until the new machines go live, RingGo will be the only payment method available. Customers are required to pay the appropriate tariff for their parking session to avoid being issued with a Penalty Charge Notice.

Paying to park with RingGo is a quick and easy process. First time users can download the app for free and register with a few short details. Then, customers simply enter the location code of where they are parking (this is displayed around the car park) and how long they wish to park for – before tapping to pay. Should a customer wish to stay for longer, they can extend their parking remotely through the RingGo app without having to rush back to top up at a parking machine.

Customers without smartphones are also able to use RingGo, either via the online service at myRingGo.co.uk, or by calling the RingGo automated phone line on 0203 046 0010.

It's important to note that customers will need to pay upon arrival at the car park for the parking time they require – rather than paying upon their return.

Steven Broadbent, Cabinet Member for Transport, commented: "While there may be some inconvenience during the two-week improvement works, once completed, I'm confident that the improvements will make the parking experience in High Wycombe much more user friendly.

"By offering multiple payment options, including the RingGo app, we're providing our residents and visitors with increased flexibility and more choices. We're also supporting the needs of blue badge holders by enabling them to park for free without prior registration.

"In addition, the removal of entry barriers at these car parks will reduce maintenance issues, allowing for an improved customer experience and a better availability of parking spaces."

For customers who may not have a mobile phone, alternative nearby car parks can be found using the Buckinghamshire Council car park map.

In addition to the changes detailed above, Easton Street Car Park will be closed overnight from the end of this month. This is to help reduce the level of anti-social behaviour that has been taking place at this location.

The closure times are as follows:

• Sunday to Thursday: 10pm to 6am
• Friday/Saturday: midnight to 6am

The Swan Multi-Storey Car Park will remain open with additional security measures.

For more information about Buckinghamshire Council car parks, please visit the council's car parking webpage.