MOTORISTS using Oxford's Westgate multi-storey car park could soon see the current 'pay on foot' machines replaced with pay and display.

City centre managers say the change will provide a cheaper way of having staff at the car park to guard against crime.

The current payment machines, installed in 1986, are now regarded as obsolete. The guarantee on their spare parts ran out last December and they must be replaced by the middle of next year, say council officers.

A new system of pay on foot machines would cost £250,000 to install, compared with £100,000 for pay and display.

Graham Smith, Oxford City Council's chief assistant engineer of car parks, said: "The present system has to be replaced, it is a question of what with.

"The reason we are suggesting pay and display is because we need officers on the site to provide security.

"Obviously, penalties will be issued and that is how we pay for the staff. You do not get staff walking around the site with the present system."

A survey found that 72 per cent of customers preferred pay on foot. compared to 28 per cent for pay and display.

Cllr Brian Keen said: "We would prefer to install a new pay on foot system and employ security guards but there is not enough money at the moment."

The council is proposing a flexible pay and display system that allows motorists to claim back unused time on tickets. Customers would also be able to cancel a fine if they returned within an hour of it being issued and bought a new ticket.

Councillors are urging the public to write to Oxford City Council with their views on the proposals.

The plans are in addition to £153,000 of refurbishments being carried out on the Westgate car park over the next year. Rises to increase security CITY centre managers have vowed that charges to be introduced at all of Oxford's park and ride car parks will not be used to make a profit for the council.

Motorists using car parks at Redbridge, Seacourt and Thornhill can soon expect to join those at the Pear Tree park and ride in paying a daily charge of about 50p.

The money raised will be used to pay for increased security against car crime.

At a meeting of Oxford City Council's city centre management committee, members asked for reassurances that charges will not go up once they are introduced.

Barry Tanswell, of the Oxford Central Retail Group, said: "I do not want to sign up to something that is the thin end of the wedge, where 50p becomes £1 and then £1.50. I believe that would be extremely detri- mental."

Committee chairman, Cllr Gill Sanders, said there should be a 'no profit' clause. in the conditions of the new charges.

"People have decided that 50p is okay as long as they get security."

She told the committee: "We do not see it as a way of raising revenue for the city in any way, shape or form.

"The whole idea was for the purposes of security because we had so many complaints and concerns about cars being vandalised."

Councillors are expected to back introducing a pay and display system with a separate bus fare at the car parks in meeting of the full council on Monday. The same system has been tried out at the Pear Tree car park since last October and led to an eight per cent drop in use.

Mrs Sanders said a 'single charge' option to make bus companies pay a single fee and then allow them to pass on the cost to bus passengers could be difficult to control in the future.

She said: "We have friendly bus companies at the moment but if there were a takeover of one of the bus companies we do not know what could happen."

Mr Jonathan Radley, spokesman for the Oxford Bus Company, said the company could give no indication of whether it is likely to increase prices once the park and ride charges are introduced.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.