Forty per cent of central Horsham motorists have downloaded the Blinkay App to take advantage of a more convenient way to pay for parking.
It’s been four months since Horsham switched to its new parking system.
As part of the change, all one-hour parking spots in the city were extended to two hours and new technology replaced the previous 1950s-built meters which had become unreliable.
Mayor Robyn Gulline acknowledged feedback on the new meters had been mixed. She said people who had downloaded the Blinkay Parking App were reporting a better user experience.
“People who have the Blinkay App on their phones don’t have to carry coins or a card and can extend or reduce their parking time remotely from wherever they are – that means they don’t ever need to use meters,” Cr Gulline said.
“We can see from our data that app use continues to grow.”
Cr Gulline said Council had also received feedback from motorists who were unsatisfied with the new meters.
“We understand that change is not easy for everyone. Our staff are always willing to explain how the new meters work. For people who need extra help, we have an instructional video on our website and a hard copy brochure available at the Visitor Information Centre and the Civic Centre,” she said.
This month HRCC has issued 158 infringement notices to motorists who have failed to pay the $1.50 per hour rate.
“Unfortunately, many people are choosing to ignore the parking rules,” Cr Gulline said.
“We acknowledge that significantly less fines were issued over previous years due to the impacts of the pandemic and people may have become complacent. However there is no concession period anymore.”
Traffic studies have recommended that paid parking is effective and efficient in managing priority parking spaces within the CBD to enable movement of shoppers, ultimately increasing foot traffic to local businesses.
