Councillor Pat Fitzpatrick is calling on members of Kilkenny Borough Council to support his Fianna Fail colleagues by agreeing to allow business owners and residents of John Street to have a 15 minute free parking period.
The motion is due to be discussed at Monday’s Borough Council meeting. The 15 minute free period was previously proposed by Cllr's Joe Reidy and Andrew McGuinness but it was defeated by eight votes to four with Fine Gael, Labour and the Green all voting against it.
It was raised again when Cllr's McGuinness and Reidy presented the council with a petition signed by hundreds of customers and residents of John Street but Mayor Crotty would not allow the issue to be discussed until a later date.
The issue is due to be discussed at Monday night's meeting in the form of a notice of motion in the names of the Fianna Fail members. Councillor Pat Fitzpatrick, a member of Kilkenny County Council, is calling on Fine Gael, Labour and the Green to reconsider and agree with his FF colleagues and implement the 15 minute free period.
"Business operators in John Street are up in arms as Kilkenny Borough Council prepares to implement on-street parking charges without providing an initial free period of 15 minutes for set down outside their premises. They need this free period for the sake of their business," said Cllr Pat Fitzpatrick.
"It is unfair on local business people in the area who are already suffering in the current economic climate. I don't know what opposition members were thinking when they voted against these hard working people," he said.
"I understand that my colleagues Cllrs Reidy and McGuinness have been trying to get this through for some time and so I'm now calling on opposition members to support them for the sake of maintaining business at a time when its already difficult," concluded Cllr Fitzpatrick.
