One hour of free parking could be coming to Tipperary towns after heated debate
Officials in towns across Tipperary will have the option of introducing one hour of free parking, after councillors voted to amend the county’s draft parking harmonisation plan, which aims to standardise parking charges across the county’s nine main towns.
The towns of Clonmel, Cashel, Cahir, Tipperary town, Carrick-on-Suir, Nenagh, Roscrea, Thurles and Templemore are all included in the overhaul of the parking by-laws.
Councillors were shown draft by-laws that would introduce a three-tier parking system and a so-called “parking menu” of charging options. Under the proposal, every town would get 20 minutes of free parking in its core town centre.
James Murray, the council’s senior engineer for the roads section, said that the parking charges would be neutral for customers, with the changes incurring no extra costs for those who park in the towns across the county.
Under the proposal, towns that exceed parking revenue targets would receive a proportion of the additional income to spend on local improvements.
Independent councillor Jim Ryan, who chaired the council’s strategic policy committee (SPC) that was overseeing the drafting of the new by-laws, said that the decision would be one of the biggest ones made by the council in years.
“This has been a very long and draining process, we had a lot of involvement with various bodies and as an SPC we made the decision to open this up to all members of Tipperary County Council to have an input into it because it’s a very important decision for the county.
“This affects every town in Tipperary so it is one of the biggest decisions that we have to make as a council and as an SPC for a long time,” Cllr Ryan said.
However, the draft by-laws were met with considerable concerns from councillors right across the county, particularly those in Tipperary town and Cahir.
Independent councillor for Cahir Máirín McGrath called for a one-hour free parking option to be included, as her town currently has two hours of free parking.
“I still wish to propose an amendment to the proposed policy to include a one-hour free parking option into the menu for measures for towns to consider.
“As a councillor for Cahir, I am deeply concerned about the proposed changes and the impact that might have for our town. The business community, residents and the general public in Cahir have clearly expressed concerns regarding these proposals and it’s important that we listen,” she said.
“In Cahir, we’re coming from a two-hour free parking arrangement. It is working well, it is managed efficiently by the traffic warden and it does ensure appropriate turnover. We face a significant change with the proposed 20-minutes free and I think a one-hour free option is a fair compromise from both sides,” Cllr McGrath added.
Backing Cllr McGrath’s calls, Sinn Féin councillor Annemarie Ryan said that the proposed changes also don’t work for Tipperary town, which she said has a unique set of challenges.
“We operate under a unique set of pressures that perhaps don’t apply to other towns. The main one is the N24, it cuts straight through the Main Street with no bypass, we have done traffic counts that show up to 1,200 vehicles per hour at peak times go through the Main Street.
“This demonstrates severe congestion and a challenging retail environment. The Tipperary town core retail centre is uniquely disadvantaged by the presence of a large, out-of-town shopping centre offering up to 300 free parking spaces
“This draws footfall away from the town centre, and places local traders in direct competition with a retail area that costs the consumers nothing to access. We also suffer from very high vacancy, I am delighted to say that vacancy rate is decreasing, but at the moment we have the highest vacancy rate in the county,” Cllr Ryan said.
The addition of a one-hour free parking option would help to generate more income for the town, Cllr Ryan added, saying that it would increase footfall and benefit local businesses.
Fine Gael councillor Mary Hanna Hourigan, who is also based outside Tipperary town agreed, saying that there was nothing on the proposed parking menu that suited the town.
A protracted debate followed, with councillors going back and forth on the issue for almost two hours. Some agreed with a one-hour free parking option, while others said that the council’s revenue would be seriously down if every town had an hour’s parking for free.
Director of services for roads Liam Brett said that change is difficult, and it wasn’t just Tipperary town and Cahir that had issues.
“Income would drop by over 60pc by having that one-hour free product,” he said.
“That would have to come forward for every district and every town involved, and if it does come forward for every town involved, income dramatically drops,” Mr Brett added.
Because Cllr McGrath’s proposal was seconded by Cllr Ryan, it was then taken to a vote, with 19 councillors voting for, and 17 voting against it.
The by-laws will come into effect in April 2027, when each municipal district will decide which parking rates and free parking options to apply in its towns.