A pedestrian crossing is causing a local publican in Paulstown much distress as he claims that his business is in jeopardy if the construction of the facility goes ahead.
Gerry Carroll of the Shamrock Inn on the Main Street in Paulstown is very angry that the council is building a pedestrian crossing outside his pub. Mr Carroll has claimed that he is losing three car park spaces from in front of the pub. The council refutes this and claim that only one space will be affected.
“I have no problem with pedestrian crossings, but I do have a problem with it taking up three of my customer’s parking positions. I have lots of elderly customers who get dropped off at the pub in the evening and picked up at the end of the night by relatives. There will be nowhere for those people to pull in without the elderly people having to walk a long distance to the pub,” said Mr Carroll.
Work began on the pedestrian crossing last week and continued on Tuesday however, work has since ceased on the crossing as Mr Carroll has parked his car there.
“There is no one there this morning. I parked my car where they were working yesterday and now there is damage done to the wing and the bonnet and it is also punctured as they simply worked around it. It was like Beirut out there at half past eight in the morning.”
Mr Carroll says that there is a better location for the crossing outside a house he owns just a few yards up the road.
“I don’t mind them putting it outside my residence, however, this will severely affect my business. A bit of common sense would have sorted this out however, it is very difficult to reason with the council,” he said.
Meanwhile, spokesperson at Kilkenny County Council Tony Lahoff told the Kilkenny Advertiser, “Mr Carroll is losing one car park space for the pedestrian crossing which the people of Paulstown have been crying out for, for some time now. It is being constructed in the safest location possible and this location has been decided on advice from the Gardai.
“Work has stopped on the crossing at the moment as Mr Carroll has parked his car in the area. It’s also important to note that people have been calling and complimenting the council on the work on the crossing as it is much-needed in the area.”
Mr Carroll told the Kilkenny Advertiser, “the car will stay there until they leave outside my pub alone. I would like to sort this out as soon as possible, but this happened without any consultation with me and it clearly affects me. I may have no other option but to close up the pub and sell the license. After the smoking ban and the drink driving, it is already hard for people to get to the pub. This is another obstruction. What else can they do?” he asked.
