Hitchin town centre drivers have now had a full summer to try out North Herts Council's new "pay on exit" parking machines, installed in March.

A report going before the council's Overview & Scrutiny Committee this week on 9 September 2025 shows the new system is being well used — but not without some early teething problems.

Across North Herts, parking transactions in April–June were up 6% on the same period last year. For Hitchin, this suggests more people are staying longer in town and paying only for the time they need, rather than rushing back to their cars.

However, there have been issues that the council has been trying to address including:

• Clearer signs: Some drivers were confused between pre-pay and the new "Check-In/Check-Out" option. In response, the council has trialled clearer signage in Hitchin car parks over August and September.
• Portmill Lane pairing: To ease queues and machine downtime, officials are looking at "zoning" Portmill Lane East and West, so drivers can use either machine if one is busy or offline.
• Card-only at Woodside: Most car parks now have at least one machine that accepts cash, but Woodside remains card-only due to past vandalism.
• Blue Badge and season tickets: New signs are being installed next to disabled bays and in long-stay car parks, making clear that Blue Badge holders and season ticket users don't need to register a parking session.

The report shows a sharp rise in Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) since the new system came in — up 61% across all council car parks and 59% in Hitchin ones. Much of this, the report suggests, was down to drivers entering their number plate incorrectly, meaning wardens' devices did not show a valid payment.

However, the council says it has taken a lenient approach to first mistakes, cancelling 78% of PCNs that were challenged in April–June. Importantly, PCNs for "parked without payment" have already dropped by 26% since April, suggesting motorists are getting used to the technology.

If you need help you can call 01462 474631 (Parking Services) or 01462 474000 (Customer Services).