Parking meters and pay and display

Parking times

The times when you have to pay to park are shown on the pay and display meter or sign within the pay by phone bays, the parking meters and the signs at the entrance to the controlled parking zones.

Most of the council's pay and display machines operate between 8 am and 6.30 pm Monday to Friday. Some also operate on Saturday. Remember to check the times stated on the machine when you're parking as they vary depending on the zone you are in.

Parking meters

All single parking meters accept £1 and 20p coins. Information on the meter will state how long you can park for, usually two or four hours depending on the location.

When parking at a parking meter you should

• Make sure you have change ready before you park at a parking meter or a credit/debit car & mobile phone to pay by phone   
• Make sure you feed the correct meter for the bay you are parked in

Pay and display machines

The pay and display machines accept the following coins, 10p, 20p, 50p, £1, and £2. The machines are easy to use and simple instructions are on the front.

The maximum time you can park for is usually either two or four hours, check the information on the machine.

When parking in a pay and display bay you should

• Make sure you have change ready before you park or a credit/debit car & mobile phone to pay by phone 
• Check the display on the machine to make sure it's working before you put your money in
• Make sure you display your ticket clearly in your windscreen  

Pay for parking by phone (RingGo)

You can now pay by using a mobile phone, instead of feeding coins into a pay and display machine or parking meters. Maps of these controlled parking zones showing where the pay and display and meter bays are located are available from the controlled parking zone maps page.

You do not need to live in the borough to qualify. Cobalt Telephone Technologies, RingGo system is operated on behalf of Southwark Council.

You can register for RingGo either on online at the RingGo site or during your first RingGo call on 020 3046 0010.  

What happens if a meter or pay and display machine is not working?

All controlled parking zones are covered by RingGo pay for parking by phone service (see above), simply pay for parking over the phone or go to the nearest working pay and display machine and purchase a ticket from there. Pay and display tickets are transferable within a controlled parking zone but not across the whole borough, or from a car park to the street, as different tariffs apply.

If we know a meter is out of order, a bag will be placed over it to show that it's not working, this suspends the parking place so that no parking is allowed. 

Please do not park on pay and display bays where the machines are out of order. If you do park there, you may be issued with a penalty charge notice. If the meter stops working while your vehicle is parked and you receive a penalty charge notice, please see the section of this web site about how to object to a penalty charge notice. 

If you know of a meter or pay and display machine that is out of order, please let us know and we will make sure it gets fixed. Please provide the following information when you contact us 

• meter or machine ID number
• location
• your vehicle registration number

Suspended meters or machines

Sometimes we have to suspend parking meters and pay and display machines for various reasons. Suspended meters are covered with a bright yellow bag that states that the meter is not in use. Suspended machines will have a notice attached to them. Any vehicle found in a suspended bay will receive a parking fine and may be removed.

If you wish to apply for a parking bay suspension please contact the Southwark Council parking shop.