Last coin parking meter removed from Westminster

Central London's last coin-operated parking meter will be removed today, more than 50 years after the machines were first installed.

The removal of 4,000 machines started in 2007 after motorists began to pay for parking via mobile phone or credit card.

At a short ceremony at Warwick Square today the Town Crier of Westminster, Peter Moore, will formally announce the end of the traditional meter.

The cashless parking scheme was introduced by Westminster council as a convenient alternative to carrying around pockets of change.

It has since been rolled out across all of Westminster's 7,000 parking bays and has been adopted by several other local authorities in the UK.

Motorists without either a mobile phone or a credit or debit card can purchase pre-paid scratch cards or use any one of the council's 14 car parks where cash is still taken.

Danny Chalkley, of Westminster council's transport section, said:
"Coin-operated parking meters have had a long and distinguished history in the capital that stretches back more than 50 years.

"During their heyday they were an iconic fixture on the capital's streets and have played a vital role in shaping the development of modern parking services.

"However, it is now time for us to look to the future by embracing new and superior technology and consign these out-dated machines to the history books."