Paid for parking is a non-runner

Our first stop was Cootehill and the chairman of RGDATA and president of the Cootehill Chamber, John Foy, said that any move to introduce paid for parking in Cootehill at this time would really be premature. "There are other solutions that should be examined and implemented first," he said. It is paramount to take the views of shoppers into account to ensure that they continue to shop in the town. "There are a lot of staff working in the town and parking has to be found for their vehicles and that is where part of the dilemma lies. If we can find a solution by opening up more of the back spaces lying idle around the town, it would be a big help," suggested Mr. Foy. There is no sufficient parking space in the areas covered by the by-laws, like the town car park and the main street. The car park has to accommodate a lot of staff cars from various businesses around the town, so the available space for shoppers is reduced. Mr. Foy said the local authority should look at providing long-term parking at St Michael's Hall and on the Eastern Health Board site, which could be availed of on a temporary basis at least. Paid parking in a town should only be considered as a last resort. Mary Deery from Cavan Road, Cootehill who was shopping in the town, said she did not have any trouble finding a parking space in town. Mary recognised that paid for parking is everywhere nowadays and she would not be totally opposed to it. Lorraine Mullen who was also shopping in the town said that parking in the town is sometimes a mess and there are cars everywhere. She would not like to see paid for parking introduced and added that additional parking should be provided to get cars off the street. Christopher Paige from Station Road said there is a definite requirement for more parking spaces to be provided. Paid parking is not a good idea at this time especially with the credit crunch. Paying for parking would drive shoppers out of the town, he contended. Bailieboro reaction The Traders Association in Bailieboro have come out strongly against the introduction of paid parking in the town and dubbed it as a "negative and retrograde step". The traders want a link put in place between the Tesco car park and the main street so that shoppers can have easy access to the town centre. The chairman of the Traders Association Aidan Clarke said he wished to make it clear to Cavan County Council that they do not want paid for parking at all. "I am calling on our local representatives to do all in their power to block any proposals to bring paid parking forward and to ensure it never happens." He continued: "Bailieboro presently has a two-hour parking regulation and it is working well to the extent that the traders and staff don't park on the Main Street. Paid parking would draw people off the street and would have a detrimental effect on business. We want to attract people to the town and not put people off coming to the town," said Mr. Clarke. He said the link to the Tesco car park had been stipulated in the planning permission and he called for that to be progressed immediately. Association member Niall McCaul said it just does not work in small towns and it would be very detrimental to business. He added that if paid for parking was introduced on the street, then everyone would go down to the Tesco car park away from the town. The secretary of the traders association Kevin Smith said that the town has suffered in a major way by the arrival of Tesco and this combined with the recession has really dented business. "Paid for parking would ruin the town and would have a negative impact. Are people going to pull up at Tesco, which has 300 free car spaces or come up the town and pay for parking?" Mr. Smith said that Bailieboro with a population of 1,600 people is relatively small and does not have the capacity to absorb paid for parking. He also revealed that there were at least three or four business people on the brink of pulling out of town. Peter Byrne concurred that the town was simply not big enough for paid for parking. He said that people will not put 60 cents into a meter to get the milk and a paper. Mr Byrne said that Tesco Ireland had paid for most of the new ring road, so he could not understand how the Council was looking for more money from parking charges. Kingscourt opposed The traders and members of the Kingscourt Chamber are also totally opposed to the introduction of paid parking in the town. Sean Farrelly from M&F Stores said: "We do need regularised parking in the town with a two-hour stipulation and facilities for off street parking." He added: "It is difficult enough in business in a town like Kingscourt without expecting people to pay for the privilege of parking. We have a big wide street and if it was properly regularised, there would be lots of room for parking over a two-hour period." Mr. Farrelly revealed that there is a problem in the town with people going off early in the morning and leaving their cars parked up all day in the town. Off street parking should be provided for those people, he said. Pat Donagh from Magee's Drapers and a member of the Chamber told The Anglo-Celt that he was in favour of the introduction of two-hour parking in the town, which would immediately free up parking spaces. "For businesses to survive in a small town, shoppers require access to parking spaces near to the shops. If we lose that facility in Kingscourt, the town will die," he commented. Kevin Victory from the Centra Shop and vice chairman of the Chamber said that they have been looking for two-hour parking regulations in the town for a number of years and to have the street marked. They have also been seeking an off-street car park. "We feel that the introduction of paid parking would be very detrimental to the town, as we rely to a large degree on passing trade," commented Mr. Victory. Another member of the Chamber, Miriam Irwin, who run the Church Street restaurant told The Anglo-Celt that she had been sounding out the public on the issue and a lot of people are against it. She thinks it would be a retrograde step and agreed the need for more off-street parking and a two-hour parking limit on the main street. This, she said, would stop people leaving their cars on the street all day. Sonia McMahon from the Dun A Ri House Hotel and a Chamber member said that she would prefer two-hour parking, which would stop all day parking and there is a need for an off street car park. People want to park within 20 or 30 yards of a business door. Publican and local Cllr. David Blake, another Chamber member, said there was a definite need for two-hour parking in the town to put a stop to people leaving their cars on the street all day. He is opposed to the introduction of paid parking and pointed out that businesses are under enough pressure to survive, particularly in the Border counties, with competition from the North. There a number of businesses in a fragile position in the town at present and any negative moves like paid for parking could deter them from keeping their doors open. "We are up against a major town like Carrickmacross down the road where the is no paid for parking on the streets. All the towns around us have a parking time limit and we have been looking for it for years," said Cllr. Blake.