Free parking fails to increase footfall

Free parking trial fails to increase Castlebar footfall


Edwin McGreal

A recent free-parking trial failed to have a significant impact on shopper numbers in Castlebar, councillors have heard. During November, Mayo County council temporarily abolished morning parking charges in the town’s two most central car parks. However, there was ‘no huge change in activity’ during that period.
The trial at Castle Street and Market Square was carried out following representations by the Chamber of Commerce and councillors.
Mayo County Council’s Director of Services for the Castlebar Municipal District Paddy Mahon showed those present at Thursday’s December monthly meeting pictures of the car parks taken in both October and November. “There was no dramatic change in activity levels,” he said.
“There was a slight reduction in income, about €700 to €800 per week. It was interesting to conduct the trial, but we didn’t notice significant change. There was a lot of talk of changing the parking regime to increase footfall, but the trial says to me that people don’t change their habits,” Mr Mahon added.
Cllr Frank Durcan (Independent) said ‘people won’t change the habits of 20 or 30 years for the sake of a €2 parking charge’, while Cllr Al McDonnell (Fianna FΡil) said the trial showed that people would not abandon shopping in the afternoon when there was a charge.
Cllr Thérèse Ruane (Sinn Féin) said the ‘most important thing’ is that car parking is available and that Castlebar is perceived to be ‘open for business’. She asked the council to allow free parking in the mornings for the run up to Christmas, as had been done the previous year.