I’m Free

During most of the lockdown, parking in town was free, presumably due to the risks of infection from buttons being pressed or coins being counted when the machines were emptied. In a move that smacks sharply of opportunism, the council run car parks started charging again on the day non essential shops reopened.
However, the car park attached to M&S is run by a private company and the ticket machines remain resolutely covered. Unless you are there for over 3 hours, the parking is free - a fact that has not escaped the good citizens of Kendal.
Arriving for our normal weekly shop, we struggled to find a space to park, but there was hardly anyone in the store. Not surprising really as while I was waiting by the car for Mrs C (she’d gone in to get all the things I’d forgotten!) all I saw was cars parking up and the occupants then heading away from M&S and into the town centre.
I sense it will not be long before the parking company wake up to the amount of income they are losing and charging for parking resumes.
Shouldn’t be that difficult to make it reasonably safe - there are three pay machines so make two of them contactless only, then there is only one machine that needs emptying regularly. Don’t see how that would be a problem as most people are used to contactless payments now.