New cashless parking in Lurgan, Portadown, Banbridge and Armagh, where to find the app for ABC car parking

The move means that motorists won’t have to find coins to pay for parking in Lurgan, Portadown, Banbridge and Armagh but will instead need to download an app to their mobile phones.

It comes after the council entered into a new contract with Marston (Holdings) Ltd to provide enforcement services within its off-street car parks.

The change will commence on April 1 but as Easter Monday and Tuesday are non-charging days, enforcement will commence on Wednesday, April 3.

Since 2015, enforcement has been provided by way of an agency agreement with the Department for Infrastructure.

However, commencing April 1, Marston (Holdings) Ltd will provide these services in the borough together with an additional seven council areas across Northern Ireland.

Another change the public will notice is that traffic attendants patrolling the off-street car parks will no longer wear a red uniform but instead will be dressed in a blue.

Their responsibilities and legal authority remain the same, and any Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) issued will be valid. Tariffs in the off-street car parks will remain unchanged.

The new contract will also see the introduction of a new cashless parking system in operation at the Council’s Pay and Display off-street car parks in Armagh, Banbridge, Lurgan and Portadown. The Just Park app will be replaced by the ‘RingGo’ app, enabling car park users to continue to have the option to pay through their mobile phones, as well as at car park pay stations or via telephone.

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Car park users should download the new RingGo app from www.ringgo.co.uk onto their phones and use it from April 3.

Lord Mayor of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon, Alderman Margaret Tinsley said: “These changes to council-owned off-street car parking should be minimal and therefore won’t present too much inconvenience to users.

"The new app should continue to provide an easy alternative to paying in cash for parking, without the worry of running out of parking time. I encourage all regular users of the car parks to ensure they download the new app and be ready for April 3.”

Car park season tickets, which are already available at most Pay and Display car parks, will continue to be available to those who wish to purchase in advance. Tickets already purchased will remain valid until their expiry date.