Proposal to introduce free one-hour parking in Wexford for the first hour – ‘it works in other towns’

By Simon Bourke, Wexford People

Amid fears that the future of retail in Wexford town is in jeopardy, a proposal has been made to introduce free one-hour parking in the town. That was just one of the ideas mooted at the April meeting of the Wexford Borough District where councillors wrestled with the problem of decreasing footfall in the town centre.

Councillor Robbie Staples was the first to suggest a means of encouraging more people to shop in the town.

“Parking spaces in town are at a premium, could we look into freeing up some loading bays for parking after 12 p.m.?” he asked.

Having been informed that this would have to be ratified by the district office, Cllr Staples pinpointed a part of town which has suitable spaces.

“There’s four or five spaces in the Anne Street area which could be used for this purpose,” he said. “There’s a point in the day when deliveries aren’t going to be happening."

“That area remains busy up to lunchtime but it would be free in the afternoon from 2 p.m. onwards,” noted district manager Anthony Bailey.

While not opposing the idea, Cllr Raymond Shannon reminded the meeting that “pubs and restaurants have deliveries throughout the day” and there was an onus on the council to ensure “businesses are able to receive their stock”.

Cllr Staples’ proposal could potentially open up a half-dozen spaces in the afternoon, but Cllr Leonard Kelly had a more radical suggestion.

“Could we introduce free one-hour parking, just for the first hour?” he asked. “It works in other towns.”

“That would have to go the head of finance,” replied Mr Bailey, “we are part of a bigger pool and the head of finance will have her own opinion on this when it comes to the budget.”

After Cllr Vicky Barron asked for the establishment of “family-friendly parking” for parents who may have children with additional needs, Cllr Kelly proposed that the town be opened up for “those with hidden disabilities and the elderly” every morning.

“Could we create a dynamic parking system?” he asked. “We could allow those with hidden disabilities and the elderly to have these parking spaces up to 11 a.m. and then return to general parking? A lot of the former group want to come in early when it's not busy. Our town is not naturally very good for parking but we could facilitate a lot more people if we had a system like this.

“And there are some blue badge parking spaces in the town where, because of the road layouts, it requires a 20-point turn to get out.”

Promising to review all the councillors’ suggestions, Mr Bailey said there was potential to be “dynamic around the dual use of spaces” but that it was important not to “create confusion either”.

One new by-law which has already been drafted will impact electric vehicle (EV) drivers in Wexford town.

“A specific amount of time is now in place for motorists charging their EVs,” explained Siobhan Lynn from the roads department. “There will be parking tariffs in EV charging bays so motorists can’t occupy bays without paying. It had been reported to us that people were driving into those bays and occupying them all day without charging their cars or paying for parking.”