Motorists in this town in Tipperary 'deserve a break' from high parking charges

Parking charges in Clonmel are the highest in the county and have been for the past 11 years, and the motorists who shop, work and park in the town deserve a break.

That’s according to Clonmel’s Mayor Pat English.

He told a meeting of Clonmel Borough District that parking charges should be harmonised throughout the county. There should be a period of free parking in Clonmel to attract people back to the town centre.

The Mayor said that €1.4 million had been collected in parking charges in Clonmel alone last year, along with over €3 million throughout the county.

READ NEXT: Tipperary man represents Ireland at Special Olympics Winter Games 

Cllr Siobhán Ambrose said it was unfair that there was a significant difference between the cost of parking in Clonmel and in other areas. She said that commercial rates and graveyards costs had been harmonised but it hadn’t happened in respect of parking charges.

Cllr Richie Molloy said that nobody wanted to see the parking spaces in the streets blocked up all day by the same cars, but if you want to get life back into the town centre, something had to be done about parking charges. He said the cost of parking in the town had always been a bone of contention.

“We have to tackle it, because it prevents people from coming into the town centre,” he said.

Noting that almost 8,000 parking fines had been issued by Tipperary County Council last year, Cllr Molloy said the perception is that you will pick up a parking fine if you drive into the town.

SEE ALSO: Tipperary students reach finals of Junk Kouture fashion competition

He said that other towns had an hour or two of free parking and people should be encouraged to stay in the town when they dropped children to school in the morning.

He acknowledged that there was a half an hour of free parking available in the Mary Street car park, but he said that timeframe was “very tight”.

Cllr Molloy said he was worried that the charges in other towns might be increased, while the charges in Clonmel would remain the same, when parking charges were harmonised.

Cllr John FitzGerald said that for people collecting a prescription from a chemist, or calling to the bank or post office, there is “the fear of God” that you might have a substantial fine waiting for you when you returned to your car, if you didn’t have a ticket.

Work to harmonise the charges is underway through the Roads SPC (Strategic Policy Committee) of Tipperary County Council, a report to the meeting from District Engineer Gillian Flynn stated.