Banbury sports centre user claims 'smart' parking system is 'a racket' and is fighting hundreds of pounds in fines

Chris Dyckes has tried unsuccessfully to get refunds for the penalties accrued at Spiceball Leisure Centre. She cannot appeal to an independent body because she has no way of proving the car recognition software is faulty.

The sports centre changed its parking system last October and teething problems were highlighted by the Banbury Guardian.

Ms Dyckes said: “I had joined a Swim to Slim Club run by Cherwell District Council at the end of January and by the end of February had received a parking fine from Smart Parking Ltd.

"I was very puzzled, as I know for each session I attended, I had booked over the time required for my 90-minute class. In total I have had three fines totalling £300 covering three times where I had paid for over the allotted time.

"When I appealed and scanned my tickets and payment via Barclaycard, I was disappointed to find they rejected my appeal on the basis that I input my registration incorrectly, even though I demonstrated a ticket where it had shown correctly.

"Like most people I took a printed ticket from the machine and did not check it. This also happened to a colleague of mine at the Swim to Slim except she noticed the morning after and got in contact with the Leisure Centre and was told she may get a fine.”Ms Dyckes posted on Banbury social media to warn others not to throw their tickets away, as there were still problems with the Spiceball system.The leisure centre made the changes in mid-October from a cash-only payment machine to a parking system that operates using a number plate recognition camera that tracks vehicles' entry and exit.

The new system allows users to pay with cash, card or the Ringo app and gives leisure centre users the option to prepay for parking in advance.

Ms Dyckes said Spiceball’s finance manager felt she was sure Smart Parking would accept her appeal. The manager defended their new contract but did offer to try to help.

"Sadly, nothing has been done and I have had a second appeal turned down and am now waiting for a third,” she said.

“Although I could take this further to POPLA (the independent appeals service for Parking Charge Notices issued on private land), proving that the payment machines on site at Spiceball Leisure are faulty is impossible so I cannot appeal against the fines.”

Ms Dyckes said she had counted at least eight people who have had similar problems with parking on site.

“This is an absolute racket as there is clearly a problem with Smart Parking. I always paid for more time than required and I sent proof of this to Smart Parking. The tickets also show strange connotations of my number plate printed out, which is not what I input into the machines. It seems these ANPR cameras are making lots of errors and fighting them is impossible with POPLA as I cannot prove the equipment is at fault.

“So far I have paid two of the appeals as they are in my husbands name and he does not want any financial blot on his credit.

“It seems to be a National problem and others are trying to fight these electronic eyes which sometimes clock you in but not out - or in my case the registration is printed out incorrectly.

"A friend said her friend turned round in the driveway to the Lidl car park and the ANPR picked up her number plate but as she did not enter the car park, did not check her out so she received a huge fine for two weeks of parking. Apparently she fought it and eventually they cancelled the fine.”

Smart Parking’s website says SmartPark system is a ‘complete, end-to-end solution that pairs a network of sensors, feature displays and live gateways with a powerful and intuitive web-based platform’

It says: "The implementation of a well-run car park results in increased compliance and fewer instances of unauthorised parking – meaning that valuable parking space is maximised for genuine visitors.

"It’s safe to say that we’ve all experienced frustration while trying to find a place to park our car. This seemingly innocuous daily activity can result in huge frustration for motorists who circle a car park looking for a suitable space to park their car. This impacts on motorist behaviour and road rage, as well as adding to congestion and pollution on our city’s streets.

"It also has a profound effect on businesses who want to welcome customers with a positive experience. Not only are they having to deal with an already disgruntled visitor but over time footfall decreases as motorists refuse to return to a site where traditionally they’ve not been able to park easily.

“Smart Parking provide our car park management service in hundreds of sites across the UK. We recognise that every site is different with unique requirements so we conduct a thorough up-front analysis with the customer in which we get to the bottom of the parking issues an estate is having, followed by a site survey. This collaborative approach allows us to recommend the best method of management and installation of the hardware that is deemed most fit for that site.”

The Banbury Guardian has asked Spiceball Leisure for a comment.