‘They don’t know what message they’re giving the public’ – Galway City Council stalls on parking payment fix but promises new signage
Frustrations over Galway’s parking payment system resurfaced at this month’s City Council meeting, but while a long-term fix remains unclear, better signage is expected soon.
Cllr Níall McNelis said in the meeting that the service is in “shambles” most notably with inconsistent and confusing messaging placed on parking machines.
Chief executive Leonard Cleary asked councillors for “one week’s grace period” for the marketing and printing team to plan, prepare, and put up proper signage that will streamline and clarify parking payment options.
At last month’s meeting, councillors discussed the half-working payment options. It seems the conversation is growing old with very little resolution on the horizon which Cllr McNelis says is an “embarrassment”.
The Irish Independent spoke to business owners around highly trafficked areas in the city to find that the app option has limiting accessibility of its own.
Namely for tourists, as the app is only available on phones registered in Ireland which requires an Irish form of payment and resetting of apps.
Currently, Payzone parking machines are out of order to accept card or cash due to an ongoing court case with machine owners UTS Technologies.
Signage instructs drivers to pay by the app, through nearby Payzone retailers, or by a phone number that leads to a ParkMagic customer service line.
Calling the number results in instruction to galwaycityparking.ie which allows a once-off payment that may be suitable for tourists and visitors without access to the app.
Senior Engineer Fiona Lillis Holland agrees with councillor concerns that the signage needs to be improved to streamline communication from the council to drivers. She hopes to see an “increased ease in usage” in the next two weeks as the marketing team is prompted for new signage.
Galway City Council Finance Director Helen Kilroy said September income figures are still pending, which will show how the council is tracking against its €2.9 million budget for the year.
Since 2022, annual income has remained below €2 million, indicating that paid parking continues to generate steady revenue.
Still, Cllr McNelis raised concerns about the income, pointing to unclear instructions displayed on parking machines which may have affect on how many people are paying for parking.
Cllr Peter Keane was a harsh critic towards the promise of improved messaging during the meeting as he says it’s “no man’s land”.
“This council doesn’t even know what message they are actually giving to the public.”
A detailed report is expected by December with maintenance and repair costs, licensing costs, as well as an overview of the “the general resources that are being pitched at this,” Cllr Keane said.
Monitoring and ticketing are continuing as usual while the council reviews the system.