Ballyshannon Cllr. wants parking charges to stop from October
A Ballyshannon councillor wants on-street parking charges in the town stopped from October.
Councillor Barry O’Neill told this week’s monthly meeting of the county council that he expects the charges to stop from October 1 unless the council gives a clear outline of what is happening with plans for a new car park in the town.
The council passed a motion from the Ballyshannon councillor that the council discuss the merits of parking charges in the town with a view to abolishing them.
He says the charges are not wanted by all the town’s political representatives and the business community. They are also a additional hindrance in a town that is fighting against trade going across the border and is seeing a business closed every other month.
Director of Services for Roads and Transportation,John McLaughlin, said part of the reason the charges were introduced in the town was for the regulation of traffic in the town. He said the charges were introduced to benefit the town but if people in the town didn’t want then they could be removed.
The total annual revenue from the collecting of parking charges in Ballyshannon, Donegal Town and the Twin Towns is over €400,000 but the revenue from Ballyshannon alone is around €10,000. That income does not cover the cost of a traffic warden but the council wants the charging to continue because it regulates on-street parking.
Cllr O'Neill said €13,000 is being made from a exercise which the business in Ballyshannon are totally against. “I have asked for six years about a new car park. there is a CPO up the stairs sitting on a shelf. There are shops closing every other month and its not just down to car parking but I am of the firm opinion that it has to stop,” he said. “There are nine representatives in Ballyshannon that are against it, I am against it and the business community is against it.
He said there had to be a new car park in the town or the practice would have to stop. “I will be telling my constituents that come October 1 there will be no car parking charges in Ballyshannon. I want a clear outline in September what is happening or else from October we will have the charges stopped.”
Cllr Thomas Pringle agreed with Cllr O’Neill adding that if the charges had been introduced with the promise that off-street parking would be introduced.
“If people in Ballyshannon don’t want the charges then the council should remove them,” he said.
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Weather for Donegal
Wednesday 08 February 2012
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