Westminster Council is currently contemplating the potential demise of the humble parking meter, following on from a successful six-month trial into the use of mobile messaging to pay for parking instead of coins.
If the extension gets the green light, the technology may be rolled out in as little as 12 months, meaning that the parking meter, of which there are more than 3,500 in Westminster, may not live to see its 51st birthday next July.
Parking in some parts of Westminster is not cheap and this often means that shoppers or workmen have to suffer bulging pockets or purses full of coins to ensure they are fully paid up for the duration of their stay in the parking bay.
In addition, vandalism remains a big problem with the council losing around 50,000 a week thanks to people tampering with the meters and stealing their contents.
With the new system, however, they simply text the meter and top up their usage. All they need to do is register their mobile number and car registration and away they go.
Parking attendants have been equipped with handheld reading devices so that they can easily find out which vehicles have outstayed their parking welcome quickly and easily by transferring the information from the meter.
"We launched Pay by Phone Parking in October last year to give motorists a new, coin-free way of paying for their parking. Being able to top-up your meter on the move without returning to your vehicle provides greater flexibility for motorists and helps them avoid unnecessary fines," said Councillor Danny Chalkley, a Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Transport.
To help measure the success of the pilots, the council conducted some research which revealed that more than three quarters (77 per cent) of people were either satisfied or very satisfied with the new way of paying and some 60 per cent of respondents were in favour of the abolishment of parking meters.
"The fact that our target for take-up of the scheme was smashed so far ahead of schedule speaks for itself. Now that we have the views of Londoners who use the scheme we can establish how we take Pay by Phone parking in Westminster forward," Chalkley added.
"While the parking meter has a long and distinguished history in the city stretching back over 50 years, perhaps this could be its final birthday."
Trials, which officially ended on March 31, were conducted in Harrow Road and the West End.
