Paid parking in very small towns

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johng7

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I'm wondering if any AAMers out there can help me look into the issue of paid parking in small towns.

Pay and Display parking is to be introduced on the Main Street of our town - Kinnegad in Co. Westmeath. The local County Council tell us that it is not a money making racket, but is the only enforcable parking restriction that is workably used anywhere else.

We feel that our town is far too small for Pay and Display parking - pop. 2200. With that in mind we are trying to find other small towns in Ireland with parking restrictions in place other than paid parking - for example Virginia in Cavan has 2 hours maximum parking on its Main Street, but free of charge. We need as many examples as possible of other towns with similar byelaws from around the country.

I'd really appreciate any help or tips anyone can give us, because at the moment the Council are insistent that Pay and Display is the only way that they will consider.
 
For what its worth, the max 2-hours free parking regime in Virginia works very well. I was in Enfield recently and they appear to have something similar.
 
Thanks for that ubiquitous - Meath and Cavan are the 2 examples we've given Westmeath County Council so far, but they don't seem to want to listen.
 
Last time I was there, Ballinasloe in Galway what Max 1-2 hours for free. Tuam is paid parking
 
Athenry tried to bring in something but didn't in the end (I think) - you really wouldn't be anymore than 2 hours in athenry anyway. It might help yer passing trade though.
 
Ballinrobe has no free parking time - you park, you pay.
Very unfair when you just want to do a quick shop.
 
Thanks for your replies guys - keep them coming !

Annamac1 - that just sums up what our difficulty is with paid parking in place as small as Kinnegad. There's only a handful of shops, spread over a long Main Street, so you couldn't park and stroll to a number of shops and businesses - most people will be only popping into a shop for a couple of minutes. Very unfair to expect these customers to pay for the privilege.
 
Doesn't help your case directly, but some other countries (New Zealand for one) normally have different parking zones in a small town. Right outside the shops on the main street - free parking, but a 10/15/20 minute maximum. On the side streets - cheap parking with a much longer maximum.

This greatly facilitates people who just want to drop in to pick something up or drop something off. It ensures there is normally parking available right near the shops - this in itself shortens then entire transaction while leaving the side streets free for longer term parking.

It is hard to get parking near the little shopping area down the road from me because people park there for hours at a time. If there was enforced (ah, but sure this is Ireland) maximum parking times, people would be a lot more likely to stop at the shops as they could rely on getting parking for their 2 minute visit. Local shops lose out, supermarkets gain.

z
 
Last time I was in Kilkenny, there were zones where you could park for free for a max of two hours, then move on otherwise you get a parking ticket, not sure it that was in place throughout Kilkenny, but certainly at the end of Rose Inn st and on John st, which are pretty main thoroughfares. I'd imagine this system would work well for you, it certainly seems to work in Kilkenny, once the two hours are up, you move on, leaving space for other visitors/shoppers etc.

Also worthy of note - Waterford city used to use pay and display parking discs, one disc per hour, so even if you were only stopping for 5 minutes you'd have to pay full whack, however they recently introduced dispensing ticket machines where you can pay corresponding amounts for only 10 minutes, 20 minutes etc, up to a maximum of I think 2 hours, which is a lot more palatable than paying for a full hour when you only need 5 minutes.
Reasons for this may have included resistance from local businesses to supply said discs, so might be worth getting the local chamber of commerce/local businesses to band together if you're not already doing this.
 
Tipperary Town has a fair parking system. (1) Parking on the Main Street is only allowed on one side for two hours (free). (2) Central car parks near supermarkets allow free parking for first hour - free ticket must be displayed. (3) Car parks off main thoroughfare are free at all times. (4) Central car park in Market area is pay and display. These arrangements agreed following consultations between local council and traders. Traders felt it would promote the town better and encourage people to stop and shop. Also Dunnes, Tesco and Lidl have big free car parks on their premises.
 
Thanks for taking the time to reply - its interesting to see that different approaches can work if a little thought is put into it. Unfortunately this doesn't seem to apply to Westmeath Co. Co. who have one answer only and are adamant that our small town has to be treated the same as Mullingar (pop. 18000) and Athlone (pop. 17500).
 
Just out of interest does anyone have any idea what the smallest town in Ireland is that has pay and display parking ?

A bit obscure I know - but it would help our case if we could be sure that Kinnegad (pop. 2200) would be the smallest if they go ahead and introduce it.
 
No, Virginia Co. Cavan has a pop of 1734 according to 2006 census.

BB
 
Castleblayney has free in car parks all day ( plenty of space) and parking free on main street for 2 hours. enfocred by both the garda and sometimes a warden from Monaghan. Dundalk charge 20c for 15 mins and have a few all day car parks but a stranger would struggle to find one of them and the other is right beside a full paying car park. Only a local would probably know the difference. Kells has one all day car park for around €3 but again a stranger mighn't find it easily. Drogheda has only one free car park and its a nice little walk to the main street from it but a long way from the new shopping centres. Can't see how towns as small as Virginia or Kinnegad require pay parking.
 
Thanks again to everyone for contributing on what must seem a pretty boring topic !
Breffni Boy 2 - the point is that parking in Virginia is free - not pay and display.
 
cuchulainn said:
Drogheda has only one free car park and its a nice little walk to the main street from it but a long way from the new shopping centres.
Click to expand...

Drogheda actually has 2 free car parks - one on the Donore Rd (close to the bus station) and the other on Trinity St (on the way to Aldi). Neither are terribly close to the new shopping areas - which both have pay carparks of course!
 
Was shopping in Newry last week and both Shopping Centres have free parking. Newry is a city. Also parked for free outside my dentist which is quiet close to the centre of Newry.
 
Just to recap what everyone has come up with :

there are towns - or areas of towns - with parking restrictions, but free ie. 2 hour maximum stay etc. in the following counties
Cavan, Monaghan, Meath, South Tipperary, Galway and Kilkenny.

Thanks for your help with this - I hope Westmeath Co. Co. see some sense.

If anyone has any other examples I'd love to hear them - especially from counties other than the ones I've already mentioned.
 
thanks gipiman, didn't know about the donore road one as I would always be travelling from 'the town' and find the Mell one very handy. Don't mind the walk as its not unpleasant on a nice day.
cheers
 
In charleville town co. cork there is a one hour free parking on the main street and an (up till now) free town carpark. Dunnes has opened recently with another 450 free spaces. Talks of introducing pay and display on the car park in the town though.
 
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