Parking meters ‘obsolete’

More than three quarters of the Aberdeen’s parking meters are “obsolete,” according to a report by auditors.

PricewaterhouseCoopers said that replacement parts for the outdated machines are running out and the £4.3 million the council earns each year from the meters could be drastically cut unless they are modernised.

It said: “The majority of on-street parking meters in the city – 530 out of 685 – are now obsolete and it is uncertain how long replacement parts may be available.

“Furthermore the meters do not allow users to pay by debit/credit card and are not integrated to management systems and cannot be monitored for breakdown from a remote location.”

Hugh Murdoch, the council’s head of asset management and operations, said: “Some machines are just beyond their natural life. We will be looking at introducing things like telephone payment systems.”