A new car park with the capacity to provide 50 spaces is to be rolled out in Moate shortly in an effort to alleviate parking issues and boost local business. Added to this, a two-hour restricted free parking area is also to be piloted in the centre of the town.
Concerns have been raised for some time regarding the effect a lack of parking is having on business in Moate. A large part of that problem has resulted from people parking their cars in the town centre for the entire day, but local residents have opposed calls from the local authority to implement paid parking measures due to their belief that the move would simply replace one problem with another.
Local business man Jimmy Buckley will provide a car parking facility close to his supermarket. Planning permission will be applied for shortly in order to get the facility up and running. Added to this, a two-hour free parking area in the centre of Moate will be piloted in the near future.
Fine Gael councillor John Dolan said his phone has been “hopping” on the issue of parking, and commended Jimmy Buckley for “putting his money where his mouth is” and agreeing to provide the new facility.
Cllr Michael O’Brien (Ind ) said he could not remember a time in his 36 years of living in Moate when traffic was not an issue, and welcomed the news of the pilot scheme and new car park.
Cllr Frankie Keena (FF ) described news of the new car park as a “positive development” and called for public consultation regarding the proposed two-hour free parking pilot scheme to take place “sooner rather than later”.
Director of services Barry Kehoe said the introduction of the pilot project would require the introduction of a bylaw. As a result, public consultation on the issue is a must, he said. He said the public will have to decide on two issues: the location of the free parking area, and how long each vehicle can remained parked there. Mr Kehoe said the council will wait for the result of public submissions before making any final decisions.
He added that he would consult with councillors in the next three weeks in an effort to progress the bylaw before the next district meeting.
