Dundee City Council has admitted new parking meters designed to allow payment by card don’t work.
Motorists have been left frustrated by the failure of a network of 110 machines throughout the city centre.
They were introduced at a cost of £245,000 in an attempt to make life easier and encourage longer stays.
It has emerged, however, the card facility has regularly failed, with the council accepting they have been blighted by an “intermittent fault” it has been unable to fix.
While the defect remains, it has urged people to pay by alternative means, whether feeding coins into the machines or by mobile phone.
One resident, who works in the city centre and regularly parks on its streets, said he had become frustrated by constant failures.
“I have tried on numerous occasions to use the new card payment facilities at meters, but each and every time I got to a certain point it told me that the payment had been cancelled.
“Initially I thought it must simply be a glitch with certain machines, but after attempts in a variety of locations it became clear there is a wider problem.
“It’s astonishing that all this money has been spent on improving the meters when they simply don’t work.”
Maryfield councillor Georgia Cruickshank, whose ward includes the city centre, said she too had experience of the problem.
“I assumed that it was just a glitch with an individual machine, but if there is a wider issue then I will certainly look into it,” she said.
Councillor Cruickshank added: “I was among those who questioned the cost of these machines and whether a real need for them had been established.
“Saying that, people don’t always carry loose change and I’ve no doubt they will have been welcomed by many people, so if it now emerges they don’t work I’ve no doubt they will be frustrated.”
A Dundee City Council spokeswoman said: “We are aware of an intermittent technical issue and we are looking for a solution.
“We could like to apologise to our customers for any inconvenience caused. Alternative methods of payment are available at parking meters.”
When the parking meters were introduced in 2013 they were hailed as a breakthrough for motorists.
Many of the city’s existing machines were up to 25 years old and it was deemed uneconomic to convert them to accept new coins.
Though retaining the option of paying by cash, the new meters allow drivers to pay by phone and should enable them to pay by debit or credit card.
The hope was they would improve the usability of pay-and-display parking and ensure motorists no longer have to fumble for change.
The meters were one element of a larger £300,000 package of parking measures designed to help businesses and visitors by making the parking process easier and encouraging people to stay in the city centre for longer.
Other parts of the parking overhaul included a centrally-monitored computer-controlled system that relays information to parking attendants who can get up-to-the-minute information on the status of any parked vehicle.
The central control hub at Gellatly Street is linked to the city’s three most recent multi-storey car parks, including the one at the Olympia.
CCTV, barrier and payment system controls are all delivered from a single point, enabling automatic number plate detection and ticketless entry and exit for season ticket and blue badge holders, as well as increased security.