Many Dorset residents remain upset about changes to the county's car park fees and methods of paying.

Some saw huge increases in parking permits, up by 250% per cent in some areas, as Dorset Council sought to 'harmonise' fees across the county.

The changes, introduced in 2022, standardised the council's on-street and car park charges in rural locations, shopping destinations and tourist areas.

On-street parking charges were aligned, and two new car park permits introduced to give residents and workers in Dorset a parking option that was said to provide "value for money".

Members of Dorset Council's Place and Resources Scrutiny last week received an update on progress and the customer transformation project.

Parking use has been monitored since the implementation of the new charges and the number of customers parking does not appear to have reduced.

But as well as concerns over increased prices, drivers complained that they had to log car registrations on tiny keypads they could barely see, and struggled to use smartphone parking apps where phone signal was poor.

Complaints about having to fill in complicated forms to obtain a residents' parking permit has led to the paperwork being simplified and many say they are unable to understand why parking in adjoining council areas is often much cheaper.

Others are unhappy about the small size of some parking spaces and the lack of official spots for motor homes.

To add to the woes many council car park machines are out of use, especially in the west of the county, with some of them more than 20 years old. Although 19 machines have been replaced since June and 70 more are on order, some councillors say that they have struggled to get a firm date for delivery where they live.

But the portfolio holder for highways, Cllr Ray Bryan, said that, given a bit of time, everyone should be happy.

He said the new machines, which have been ordered, will be easier to use, taking contactless payment and credit cards as well as cash, with wireless boosters put in place at some car parks to boost smartphone signals to make using the parking app straightforward.

He confessed to his own problems in parking, recently taking 15 minutes to pay the fee. 

"It's very frustrating for the more mature generation so we have to make it as simple as we possibly can," he said.

Cllr Bryan said the machines will also give the council much better data about which areas are over popular or under-used, allowing the authority to improve services into the future.

He apologised to areas those who had to face bigger increases on their parking permits, but said it only happened in a few places, claiming it was necessary to bring fees in line across the county and be fair to all.

Chesil Bank councillor Mark Roberts said there was concern at West Bay where those who towed boats with larger vehicles were often unable to fit their vehicles within the 4.8 metre painted lines, some incurring parking fines for straying over. 

He said the same situation probably applied to those who drove pick-ups and wanted to park in the county's market towns, such as Bridport and Dorchester.

Sherborne councillor Jon Andrews said he was concerned about the lack of suitable parking in council car parks for motorhomes, fearing the area would miss out on lucrative tourism business unless it found more spaces for them.

Cllr Bryan promised that both issues would be looked at, describing motor home parking as "a hot topic."

Following customer feedback, the following changes are being made to car parking in Dorset:

• Simplifying the application process for permits, and a new physical permit offered to customers who do not have access to a mobile or smart phone.
• A new multiday ticket is to be introduced following feedback from holidaymakers and accommodation businesses.
• Dedicated areas installed at Portland and West Bay for long (6 metre-plus) motorhomes, with plans in place to provide motorhome parking in Dorchester and Weymouth too.
• Increasing maximum stay limits in all Dorset Council car parks to 3 or 4 hours. This followed feedback from customers who told us they had insufficient time for some activities.

Routine maintenance is underway in all the car parks. This includes lighting and repairs, and an inspection of vegetation, trees and car park surfaces.

Work has also started on improving parking enquiry response times, enabling the council's customer services team to deal with non-complex queries while the parking services team can answer questions that need more specialist knowledge, such as legislation. 

The council's website is also being developed to make it easier for customers to self-serve.

Cllr Bryan added: "Our aim was to standardise parking charges across our car parks and on-street that worked for as many people as possible. We wanted the new changes to strike a balance between supporting our town centres and high streets, as well as ensuring charging could sustain our car parks and highways.

"During the process, it came to light some aspects did not work properly, so we have listened to the concerns of residents and businesses and made further changes. As part of our ongoing focus on improving the parking service for customers, we will continue to make the process better for customers".