11 September 2017
By Tom Collins
tom@TheCork.ie
Above: No :( using your hazard lights is not the answer
Labour Party representatives in Cork City have thought long and hard about the ongoing issue of parking in Cork City Centre.
John Maher, Luke Field & Peter Horgan contacted TheCork.ie with ideas.
The trio have called on City Hall to review new parking regimes in favour of a process “that is more beneficial to traders and customers” of Cork City Centre.
There will be a debate on the matter tonight in City Council.
“What we have seen recently is a number of councillors allowing the Executive to run unchecked in search of new ways to leverage more money from the people of Cork,” said all three representatives.
“The end result has been, and will be, less footfall in the city centre and further pressure on shops and restaurants. We cannot allow Cork City to have a culture of ticket-time fear where those people are consistently in fear of getting a ticket because they can’t find anywhere to purchase a parking disc.
“We must, as a city, invest in parking meters that allow quick access to parking stubs that can be displayed, like they have in towns such as Douglas and Mallow. What we don’t want is a private company coming in and patrolling the streets like happens in those towns.”
Other suggestions from the Labour Reps include:
- Installation of Parking meters to replace the Parking Disc regime to make it easier for people to pay like they have in Cork County towns such as Douglas, Mallow, and Cobh.
- Maintenance of the existing on street parking hours – this will bring confidence back to people who know the current times and won’t be caught out with new timings.
- Extension of the opening Hours of the North Main Street Car Park to 12 midnight
- An incentive for people visiting the Mercy Hospital when using the NMS Car Park, this could free up disc parking areas if the incentive was strong enough.
- Free 1/2 hour onto the end of a ticket on Thursday and Friday nights to encourage more people into the city centre for shopping and eating. The extra 1/2 hour after you’ve bought the ticket gives a level of breathing space.
- Free parking for 3 hours in North Main Street Car Park up to the end of January 2018 to encourage more usage of the car park and monitoring of the car park to inform parking charges regime after January 2018.
“We need to support businesses by attracting more people into the city centre. We still don’t have the public transport confidence, so while that issue is worked on, we need to face reality that motorists are the main way for people to get into the city centre.”
