On-street parking charges up for discussion in Westport

On-street parking charges up for discussion in Westport


Michael Duffy

THE possibility of on-street car parking charges being implemented in Westport will most likely be discussed at the annual general meeting of Westport Town Council next month.
Town Manager, Joe Beirne, made this clear at the December monthly meeting of the council, when he said the generation of much needed revenue for the authority would have to be considered. By then, the new pay and display system will be in operation in all of Westport’s car parks, which have been free to customers over the last few months as new bye-laws were being considered for the new system in the town.
Cllr Myles Staunton pointed out at the meeting that there was no directive in the new bye-laws that allowed for free parking around the Christmas period but he was informed by the Town Clerk Ann Moore that it would still be possible to do this without inserting the directive into the bye-laws. It was also revealed that long stay permits would be available to people who work in the town for the sum of €200 a year.
A number of the councillors present were unhappy that bye-laws were being passed without a discussion on on-street charging, with Cllr Christy Hyland stating that the public have no confidence in this ‘piecemeal’ approach.
Cllr Martin Keane said he would oppose any moves to install on-street parking charges and he also wanted free permits to be made available to those who train boxers at St Anne’s Boxing Club on James Street.
Cllr Keith Martin said that a decision on on-street parking should not be financially motivated but should be made when taking into consideration good urban planning and an ability to turnover parking spaces in an efficient manner.