DRIVERS have criticised Cotswold District Council (CDC) for failing to properly publicise a free parking scheme, causing people to unnecessarily buy a ticket.

During this month and next, council car parks are free between 1pm and 6pm on Monday and Tuesday.

However on the first day of the scheme, signs were not placed in some car parks until 2.30pm meaning that many motorists mistakenly paid to park.

One driver, Cirencester resident Erica Bower, said the council has done a generally poor job of promoting the free parking initiative since it was first announced last autumn.  

“Why is there no publicity for such an excellent scheme?,” she asked.

“I would expect a welcoming banner at the car park entrance, a large and obvious sign on every ticket machine, banners and further information on the council’s website and much wider publicity to encourage visitors to the town.

“I would also expect the machines to have temporary stickers over the money slot for every afternoon they are not being used, so that people are not able to accidentally pay.”

The council had instead attached small signs on the sides of the parking meters.

Mrs Bower said she stopped one woman who was about to put her money into the machine and told her it was free.

“She was very cross, as she was coming back to put more money on her car,” said Mrs Bower.

“I also informed a couple who were leaving a charity shop in a hurry to extend the ticket they’d paid for earlier. They too were angry and bemused.”

The council has admitted that the signs were not prominent enough, and have said they will refund those who paid by mistake.

The council did announced the free parking scheme in the press and promoted the initiative on its website.

Cllr Chris Hancock, the cabinet member for parking issues , said the council is determined to make the free scheme a success.

As a gesture of goodwill, the council has extended the scheme to the first Monday of March.

Cllr Hancock said: “The scheme has been developed specifically to help local people, visitors and local businesses, and has been promoted, in conjunction with our recent Christmas parking initiatives, on local radio and on the back of pay and display tickets issued to users of our car parks as well on the CDC website, in social media and by local community groups.

“Indeed, the announcement was front page news in the Standard and featured prominently in other local newspapers.”

But he admitted that the signs for the scheme were not what they should have been.

“We have committed to improving that and to refunding those paying in error as well as to extending the scheme to take in the afternoon of Monday, March 2 as a goodwill gesture,” he said.