INDEPENDENT councillor Jerome Scanlan has called for a review of payment methods for parking within Newcastle West.
Speaking at February’s Newcastle West area meeting, Cllr Scanlan said the system currently in place at the Council’s Church Street facility is not welcoming for older people.
Senior executive engineer for Newcastle West, Ben Noonan, explained that the current method of payment within the town is twofold. Parking discs can be purchased in several retail outlets and there is also Limerick’s e-parking payment service.
“This combination of parking control is regarded as efficient, flexible, and most importantly convenient for visitors and locals,” he said.
Cllr Scanlan took the view that Listowel in County Kerry has a much more efficient system in place, suggesting the local authority go and take a look at.
“People in Listowel don’t have to buy a parking disc, they can pay at a machine. What we have is not welcoming,” he claimed.
Mr Noonan pointed out that such a system was previously in place in the Church Street carpark and was “removed because the machine was breaking down, and we had to send people out on a regular basis to empty the machine”.
“We brought it to the Council that this system would be more efficient. There is a shop on the edge of the parking lot that sells parking discs and we have other retail outlets in the town that sell them, and we also have the online system.”
Fianna Fáil councillor Francis Foley took the view that the system in place currently has been working without issue for a number of years . He suggested that the Council promotes the shops where parking discs are sold and ensure signs are up in shops to let people know they are available.
“Do we need to check that shops have ‘parking discs sold here’ signs up, especially if people are saying they don’t know where to get them in the town?” Cllr Foley asked.