Herefordshire Car Park Machines Temporarily Offline for 3G Network Update

Parking payment machines operated by Herefordshire Council are undergoing temporary deactivation in their car parks. This measure facilitates necessary upgrades, ensuring users can maintain payment options via cash and cards at these locations. These machines presently utilize the 3G wireless network, a technology formerly employed by mobile phones, for processing transactions. However, 3G has been replaced by more advanced 4G and 5G networks, and its widespread functionality is expected to cease early next year. To prevent any inconvenience to customers, the payment machines must be powered down during the update process. Herefordshire Council has stated that efforts will be made to keep any disruption to a minimum. According to the council, each individual machine will experience downtime lasting anywhere from a few minutes up to an hour. For car parks equipped with a single machine, the upgrade work is scheduled to occur during periods of low usage. The upgrade project has commenced and is anticipated to conclude by next week. Councillor Barry Durkin, who serves as the cabinet member for roads and regulatory services, commented: “We apologise for any inconvenience caused, but these works will make sure that we are fully prepared for the nationwide switch-off of 3G in 2025, and that parking in the county remains efficient, safe and reliable.” Mr. Durkin further noted that the RingGo application, available for download on most smartphones for remote parking payments, will continue to function even during the machine downtime. Information from BBC Hereford & Worcester is accessible on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X, and Instagram. This content is copyrighted by BBC, 2024. All rights are reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for material on external websites. Details regarding its external linking policy are available.