Public urged to have their say on new Tipperary parking charges – ‘Don’t leave it too late’
People across Tipperary have been urged to have their say on new parking laws before it’s too late.
At the January meeting of the Carrick-on-Suir Municipal District, Sinn Féin councillor David Dunne said that consultation is now open on Tipperary County Council’s parking bylaws, and that people should share their opinions now, rather than complaining later.
"On the parking bylaws, I want to appeal to the general public to take on board the potential changes and to engage with the process,” Cllr Dunne said.
Under the review of the parking bylaws, the council is aiming to harmonise parking charges across the county, a challenge that has been ongoing since north and south Tipperary county councils were amalgamated to form Tipperary County Council in 2014.
Plans for the new parking charges would see pay parking be implemented on a tiered basis, with parking in some areas costing more than others.
For example, Clonmel would be a tier one town, with short-term on street parking costing €1 for 30 minutes, parking for up to an hour on the town’s streets would cost €1.20, while medium zone parking would cost a maximum of €5.40 for four hours. All day parking tickets on the streets of Clonmel would cost €4.50.
This compares to €1 for 30 minutes of on-street parking in Tipperary town, a tier three town, while parking for an hour on the street would cost €1, with a medium zone parking ticket for four hours costing €3.40. All day on street parking would cost €3.70.
Speaking at the district meeting, Cllr Dunne said that if the new bylaws are passed, there will be “fundamental” change across the county, and people should familiarise themselves with it now.
"When this comes into place, there’s going to be fundamental changes to how parking is done in Carrick-on-Suir, we’re the only town in our municipal district that has parking charges and parking permits, and there will be changes.
"There’s lots of things involved in this so I’d ask people to go to the Tipperary County Council website, read about the changes, there’s an onus on the councillors here to get this right because we get an awful lot of complaints from residents of people parking in their area, leaving their car there all day and blocking areas for residents,” he said.
"You can contact any of our councillors and let us know your feelings, don’t leave it too late, do not leave it until after the fact,” the Sinn Féin councillor appealed.
Calling on people to educate themselves on what was being brought in, Cllr Dunne added that there can be a lot of misconceptions on social media.
"We don’t want someone to go on social media and make a big rant about what’s after happening and say that they weren’t after being asked, the process is there, please engage with it.
"Don’t be led by the herd mentality on social media saying this is wicked, and that the council never asked for opinions. I’m asking people to engage with the process,” he added.
The draft bylaws can be viewed at the council offices in Tipperary town, Clonmel, Nenagh, Carrick-on-Suir, and Thurles, and online on Tipperary County Council’s website, with submissions open until February 13.