Free car parking proposed in Mayo town if repairs are not carried out
Westport councillors have threatened to introduce free parking if repairs are not carried out on the council car parks in the town. Picture: Michael McLaughlin
A Westport councillor has called for a ban on parking charges in public car parks in the town from October 7 if Mayo County Council does not fix issues relating to flooding, potholes and signage in them.
Cllr Peter Flynn was speaking at last week's meeting of Westport-Belmullet Municipal District where he sought an update on the matter. Cllr Flynn was informed by council engineer Heather Gibbons that the council had not allocated any funding to car parks this year. However, if the members wished to allocate funding they could do it for next year, she suggested.
Cllr Flynn countered: “These car parks are generating significant monies and also through parking fines with wardens. It is not right that we should have to fund them through the small discretionary money we receive. It is money that can be self-funded through the car parkng charges.
“So I formally propose that from Monday, October 7, we give free car parking in all town car parks until such time as the flooding issue is resolved and they are properly resurfaced and proper line-marking is in place, particularly on the entrances and exits.
“We are asking people to pay for something that is completely substandard. There is enough money coming into the pot to fund the upgrade of these car parks. If it is not done over the next two months it certainly won’t be done in the winter.”
Cllr Brendan Mulroy supported the proposal to ban charges, adding: “It is particularly awful to see elderly people jump out of cars and into floods and getting soaked wet. It is not good enough.”
The council engineer reiterated: “We don’t have any MD funds for the car parks and it would not be appropriate to use funds allocated to the roads. Our hands are tied. It is in the plan to look at the car parks in Westport and Claremorris but if this goes ahead and you suspend car parking charges, we would be in budgetary and funding difficulty towards the end of the year regarding revenue for any of our outstanding commitments.”
