Wollongong City Council is adding CellOPark mobile app option for parking payments in the city centre as from May 1, 2015.
Motorists parking in Council-managed metered spaces will have the option to complete a one-time registration process to use the app, phone the CellOPark call-to-park number, or go online to start and end parking sessions, said Wollongong City Council.
The advantages of using the new system are that it eliminates guesswork by ensuring drivers are only charged for the amount of time they park and more than one cars can be added to a single account, and users are billed monthly.
“We’re excited to be able to take advantage of this new technology for people to pay for parking in the City Centre,” says Wollongong City Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbery.
“CellOPark means you won’t have to print a ticket any more, and you can even use it to locate your car if you forget where you parked.” The centralized system allows parking rangers to check which vehicles are using the system electronically in real time.
Motorists can also sign up to the CellOPark premium service for $1.99 a month, which alerts them before their parking spot is due to run out. People are not charged if they don’t use the service.
The Council said paying for parking tickets via credit card for all on-street parking spaces, including 2P and 3P car parks will be discontinued from early June due to payment processing costs. But people will still be able to pay by cash as an alternative option.
For Council’s 4P and 8P off-street spaces, drivers will be able to pay by CellOPark, credit card or cash.
Last year Australia’s parking app provider CellOPark released results of a study, which found motorists waste nearly $15 million a year for “parking fine paranoia” - deliberately overfeeding parking meters to avoid a fine.
