July 2: Chip on the shoulder over card-only parking machines in Skipton

MY wife and I generally motor to Skipton from Holmfirth about twice a month. The inclusive mileage is about 75 miles. We have only ever parked in the 
parking area located along the canal basin of the Leeds – Liverpool canal.

On parking up last Saturday morning, my wife approached the nearest parking ticket machine and found that a new machine had been installed, presumably on the authority of the Craven District Council.

Unable to obtain a parking ticket from first machine, she proceeded to the second ticket machine which is located in the centre of the parking area, again she was unable to obtain a parking ticket, so she proceeded further along the park to a third machine that is sited near the Coach Street bridge which spans the canal, where she was rewarded with a parking ticket after placing hard cash in the appropriate aperture.

On reading this letter one would think that the two machines where tickets could not be obtained were out of order, which is a reasonable thought but wrong.

The reason parking tickets could not be obtained from the first two machines was that both machines had been converted to accept cards only and the only machine still taking cash was sited near the bridge.

I would have thought common sense would have prevailed. If it is council policy to install card machines in disproportionate numbers to the cash machines, would it not have been more appropriate to site the one cash machine in the centre of the car park?

It would have helped parkers who were not card users, such as ourselves and those in the 70 to 80 age range, it was also noted there were also others of the less mature generation who were also experiencing difficulties. All had to embark on a route march depending on where they had obtained a parking place to the parking ticket machine and back again to comply with the rules of “Park & Display”.

As it was lunchtime we decided that fish and chips was to be preferred. We entered a fish restaurant, ordered and asked the waitress did they supply one extra slice of buttered bread, to which she replied: “That would be 40p extra, sir.” I decided not to order that extra slice of bread as I could have popped in to M&S and purchased almost a full loaf for at a little extra cost. So, next time we venture to Skipton, and decide to have fish and chips for lunch it’ll be “eatem out” and bring us own buttered teacake(s) from Holmfirth.