By-law is causing extra costs

ALTHOUGH paying for parking in blue zones in Almeria City using mobile phones is possible, and has been for some time, the by-law which regulates the system means that unless drivers calculate carefully and use up all the time they have paid for, they are actually giving money away for nothing.

While Dornier, the company in charge of blue zone parking in the city, is fully prepared for what it calls ‘start and stop’ mobile parking payments, which calculate the exact amount of time the vehicle has been parked for, and charge the exact amount when the driver prepares to move on, the fact that it is not included in the official regulations means unless the council modifies them it cannot be launched.

The system, already up and running in Guadalajara, Barcelona and Malaga, is just another part of the Telpark mobile phone application which drivers can already use to safely pay for their parking and top up their time if their stay lasts longer than expected, or even cancel the fine and make the extra payment if they happen to run over their purchased time without having to go near a parking machine or print out a ticket.