A new digital visitor parking permit scheme is to be trialled in Lower Caversham starting this week March 2024.

The new system for residents’ parking permit zones aims to be more flexible and easier to manage for residents.

If the pilot scheme is a success, it could be rolled out to the rest of the borough.

New digital residents’ parking permits were launched across Reading on November 1 last year but visitor permits are still in scratch card format.

The pilot for digital visitor permits will take place in Zone 02R in Lower Caversham from Wednesday March 13, where the trial for the residents’ permits happened between November 2022 and April 2023.

Permit holders in the area were previously offered two free packs of 30 credits of eight-hour sessions. This meant visitors could have up to eight hours of parking per session.

The upgraded system will allow more flexibility with residents being able to book visitor permits for a minimum of one hour upwards.

New visitor permit packs will contain 120 credits with each credit equalling one hour. Residents will receive the equivalent number of credits that were on their accounts as of March 13, so they will not miss out.  

Permit holders will simply be able to log on to their account, select the number of credits/hours they wish to use, select the start date and time and fill in the registration number of their visitor’s vehicle.

Users can view permit bookings and status online and set a reminder about bookings to be sent to their mobile phone.

Parking attendants will be able to check vehicle permits instantly on their hand-held devices.

Cllr John Ennis, Lead Councillor for Climate Strategy and Transport, said:

“The digital residents’ parking scheme was successfully launched in Reading in November last year.

“Residents have found they can renew their permits, or apply for new one, much more easily without having to wait for a permit to be printed and sent to them.

“Now, we are pleased to be introducing digital visitor permits in this trial in Lower Caversham.

“It gives residents much more flexibility by being able to use permits by the hour and book online without the risk of making a mistake on the scratch card. It’s also more efficient for the Council and uses fewer resources.

“If the trial goes well in Caversham the Council will look at rolling out the digital visitor parking scheme to the rest of the borough.”