TRADERS in Newton Abbot have hit out at the new and ‘complicated’ RingGo parking system which they say is driving shoppers away from town.

Visitors to the high street have already contacted the Mid-Devon Advertiser, exasperated with the system which some shoppers claim sometimes ‘over charges’.

The mobile parking application asks shoppers to decide their length of stay on arrival, which some retailers say is making people rush out of shops or avoiding town altogether.

Percy Kendall, of Percy’s Haberdashery, said that shoppers were now rushing in-and-out of his store to try to get back to their car in time, something which he claims will push shoppers online. 

He said: ‘People used to pay on the way out for the time they used, it was easy, and shoppers knew where they stood and could take their time shopping.

‘Now Teignbridge Council has done away with that system, lots of people have found it so confusing to use the new system.’

Percy says that having to pay in advance for parking means shoppers are avoiding shops like his, which sell small value items.

Percy suggested that traders would benefit greatly from allowing cars to park for free for the first 30 minutes.

He added: ‘Why would anyone pop into town to buy a needle and thread when the parking will cost more than the product?’ he asked.

‘This will give people another reason to go to Amazon or eBay.’

Brian Bailey, of The Express Pasta Company, said he had no issues with RingGo which he had managed to use without any difficulty.

He did however say that customers had been rushing more and blaming the app since it was introduced.

Newton Abbot town centre development manager, Sally Henley, said she had received a number of complaints from traders and shoppers.

She said: ‘Since the old system of pay on exit was removed from our three largest car parks at the beginning of July, I have received many complaints from businesses and from visitors.

‘Pay on exit was a huge benefit to the town, as shoppers and visitors could be totally relaxed about the time they spent here, never fearing that they might get a ticket if they got caught in a queue or bumped into a friend and decided to stay for a coffee or a bite to eat.’

A spokesman for Teignbridge Council defended the decision to use the RingGo system, he said: ‘Retaining a pay on exit option was not possible given the breakdown problems being experienced with the aging barriers and the prohibitive cost of alternatives.

‘We recognise that some people do not like change but as Pay and Display car parks and RingGo are used across the district and country, we do not believe that the change is causing serious problems and our parking staff have received very little negative feedback.’

The spokesman added: ‘By using RingGo, shoppers can extend their parking time remotely giving them the flexibility to shop as long as they want.  

‘There has been no changes to parking charges and the cost of parking is the same whether paying by RingGo, card or cash. People have the option when using RingGo to have text alerts advising when their parking time is coming to an end and these are charged by RingGo.’

David Austin from the town’s most famous independent retailer described the changes as ‘retrograde.’

Long-time customers of Austins had told him that they were no longer going to shop in town due to the ‘confusing’ and ‘stressful’ changes to the car parks.

He said: ‘I think the whole thing is really sad. I’ve been around long enough to know that when pay-on-exit was introduced, people had a sense of vision, decision makers knew that easy parking was of great benefit to the town and local businesses.’

David added that he thought the decision was completely short-sighted and likely profit driven.

He thought however, that the move would see revenue for the car parks reduce regardless, as shoppers would find the retail experience stressful and not bother to drive into town centre.

David added: ‘These changes affect everyone, but they especially affect older people. We just wish we were consulted on the changes.’