'Heavy-handed approach' to parking in Mayo town

A local councillor has expressed concern over what he described as a "heavy-handed" approach to parking administration in Ballina of late.

Fine Gael Cllr Mark Duffy said he had received numerous reports that concerned him regarding the administration of parking tickets within the town. He called for greater empathy to be shown to motorists, particularly the elderly.

“The administration of parking tickets in Ballina is a bit severe,” he told last week’s Ballina Municipal District meeting. “Can more empathy not be shown towards the elderly in these situations? The parking wardens do a good job but it has become a bit heavy-handed lately,” he added.

In response, the area engineer Orla Bourke said if someone is unhappy with the nature of a parking ticket they receive, they can appeal it.

“There is an appeals process in place for tickets,” she said. “We have to have traffic flow and to have the process regulated.”