The fractious subject of parking in St. Francis Terrace was raised by Cllr. John Dolan at the monthly meeting of Athlone Municipal District.
‘There appears to be a major issue for residents parking their cars in St. Francis Terrace. If they leave their houses in the morning, upon return, later in the afternoon, their parking spaces have been filled by those not living in the area. I don’t know what the solution is to this situation and it is completely unfair on the residents. Would a ‘residents only’ sign work?’, Cllr. Dolan questioned.
In agreement, Cllr. Paul Hogan added that the matter had been raised on numerous occasions within the Chamber for the past fifteen years without any solution being provided.
‘A previous proposal to implement paid parking in the area was abandoned. It appears that cars are just parked at a whim in the area and if an emergency services vehicle was needed for a local resident then there could be a major issue here. Maybe it is time for a ‘residents only’ sign,’ Cllr. Hogan highlighted.
Responding to these suggestions, Mr Barry Kehoe, Director of Services, Westmeath County Council, stated that he would not support a ‘residents only’ sign in the area.
‘St. Francis Terrace is taken in charge and the road is a public one. As such, it is not legally possible to restrict parking to residents only unless the road is abandoned by the Municipal District,’ Mr. Kehoe added.
