Eastbourne gets SMS-enabled parking

Link: Car park meters can call for help | The Guardian | Guardian Unlimited

The sunny Sussex town of Eastbourne has mobile-enabled it’s parking service – but possibly not in the way you may have thought..

A town is introducing “intelligent” car-park ticket machines which can automatically text for help if anyone attempts to break into or damage them. The 150 pay-and-display ticket machines equipped with Sim cards will also automatically request a service if they malfunction and, if full, will call for their money boxes to be emptied.

Rather impressive eh? Then again, here in London town Westminster council have completely done away with parking meters in favour of phone and SMS payment – and they’re about to do away with traffic wardens too (not soon enough, IMHO) and maintain parking controls via CCTV. Maybe Eastbourne should have saved the apparent £3k per machine and spent it on something a little more 21st century?