BRIDPORT residents have hit out at expensive new car parking machines which are being blamed for confusing motorists and stopping people from visiting shops.

The new machines were rolled out by West Dorset District Council last month – but business leaders believe they are complicated, cause long queues in car parks and penalise people from sharing tickets.

Each machine has cost the council £3,200 and requires motorists to enter their registration number. Some residents think the machines are over-complicated and are putting people off visiting local businesses.

Martin Cox, owner of West Dorset Leisure Holidays, said: “I think it is unfortunate that shoppers are being put off by over-complicated machines.

“I believe the overall aim for council is to have licence plate recognition – which I think would be a huge benefit for the town. I would applaud the council as it means shoppers won’t have to run back and put more money in the machine, and can spend more time in shops.

“I can’t understand the logic of making people enter their registrations onto a tiny keyboard. It looks from the public’s point of view that the council are only doing it to stop people sharing tickets – but I don’t understand that logic. You can see why there is a lot of ill feeling about it.”

Bridport resident Colin Sparkes said: “The new car parking cash machines in the town, particularly in Waitrose Car Park, are poor design in my view. This is not a good advert for the town.”

David Wragg said: “The impact of this action is going to be felt by many people – the senior citizens of our community, the infirm and disabled, mothers with children to watch in a busy car park area, and all those who are not computer literate or have no understanding of the electronic age.

“We hear many assurances of how the district council is doing its best to save money, when at the same time, we have officers of the council spending tens of thousands of pounds on these machines.”

The council believes the new machines will make it easier for people to pay – with telephone and mobile app payments also available. Some council car parks in the town have already been upgraded – with the remaining machines set to be upgraded later this month.

Proposals for a pay on exit system are also being considered. This would use number plate recognition and allow motorists to stay longer in car parks, without the worry of their ticket expiring.

Cllr Robert Gould, leader of West Dorset District Council, said: “We are making some very positive changes to the way people are able to pay for parking in West Dorset.

“Our new parking machines replace old, unreliable ones and will eventually be upgraded to take card and contactless payments as soon as security protocols are finalised. This will ensure our car parks are well maintained and improve convenience for all.”