Mayo senator commends Westport man for painting disabled parking spaces

A MAYO Oireachtas member has commended a Westport man for taking action to paint disabled parking spaces in Westport and said it is a bad reflection on Mayo County Council.

On Monday evening Westport man Mick Higgins decided to paint disabled parking spaces in Westport after becoming frustrated that Mayo County Council were not doing the job despite many of them becoming faded.

His actions were met with positive public opinion with many people praising his decision and questioning why the work was not done by the local authority.

Ballina-based Senator Mark Duffy also commended Mr Higgins on taking action, commenting that the failure by the local authority to do basic jobs in towns and villages around Mayo was a frustration for a lot of people.

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The Fine Gael senator and former county councillor explained that line painting was something which he continuously raised once he was elected a councillor in 2019 but claimed he never got any satisfaction from council officials.

“I have been raising this issue for as long as I have been elected. It really annoys me that the small jobs are not being done and the failure to do these basic jobs is a bad reflection on local democracy and the local authority.

“When lines are not repainted regularly it leaves a tired and worn out appearance in towns and villages which does not make a good first impression for anyone visiting the county.

Senator Mark Duffy says Mayo County Council is failing to do basic jobs in the county

“When I raised this issue at the council meetings, I was rebuffed continuously by civil servants and the Director of Services with every excuse and reason given for not being able to do the job. 

“It is really frustrating and I commend that gentleman in Westport for showing civil leadership but it should not be up to him. It is the job of the local authority and it is a bad reflection on them that they are not able to do these basic jobs,” Senator Duffy told The Mayo News.

When he raised the issue during his time as a county councillor, Senator Duffy explained he was told it would cost €500,000 for the local authority to paint the lines themselves and instead private contractors are hired to do the job.

Senator Duffy commented that as these jobs have to be done during good weather, the window for doing the work is narrow in the west of Ireland and contractors are going to prioritise larger road marking jobs with the Transport Infrastructure Ireland.

As a result, he said jobs are not being done in towns and villages across Mayo and the lack of marking was causing accessibility and safety issues especially for people with disabilities.

“It is time that the local authority started to listen to councillors and people on issues like this instead of rebuffing them. No councillor has ever stated that the lines should not be painted so it is up to the Directors of Services and officials in the council to come up with the money to get these jobs done. There is money budgeted for line painting so the council should be using the money to do the job themselves rather than waiting for private contractors to do it.

“This is an issue which has now been highlighted by this gentleman in Westport and I will use my voice as a public representative to ensure that the basic jobs which people want done are done in our towns and villages,” he added.

In a statement, Mayo County Council stated they are currently reviewing the matter but are committed to 'to ensuring accessibility and safety for all residents and visitors'.

"Mayo County Council is currently reviewing the matter and assessing the condition of all designated disabled parking bays in the area. Road lining works including accessible parking infrastructure on the N59 Bridge Street, and Shop Street in Westport town will be completed in the coming weeks as scheduled.

"As a Local Authority, we remain committed to ensuring accessibility and safety for all residents and visitors, particularly those with disabilities.

"We appreciate the community’s engagement and will continue to prioritise inclusive access as part of our ongoing public realm improvement efforts," the statement read.