Independent candidate Mick Greene has called on the council to reconsider several aspects of the Kilkenny on-street parking scheme before any further action is taken.
He said that the scheme will not assist affected residents in securing suitable parking near their homes.
“As before, residents will have to compete with commuters and shoppers for parking spaces and on top of that, will now have to pay an annual fee for the privilege. Having spoken with a large number of residents and businesses within the boundaries of the scheme, I can draw no other conclusion than that this is simply a revenue-generating scheme for Kilkenny Borough Council. If I am elected in the borough council election in June, I will be turning my immediate attention to a revision of this scheme,’’ said Mr Greene.
The council has stated that revenue raised by this scheme will be used in the future to subsidise a public transport scheme for Kilkenny however Mr Greene feels the council should not introduce punitive measures for commuters until a viable alternative is in place.
“This scheme cannot be regarded as a pre-requisite for the introduction of public transport in Kilkenny. On-street parking charges alone will not produce a shift from private vehicle transport as is required, and will not reduce the number of vehicles entering the city centre. Council-run park and ride facilities with a connecting regular and frequent shuttle bus service would reduce the number of private vehicles entering the city centre, without, importantly, reducing the number of people entering this area,” he said.
For predominantly residential streets/areas Mr Greene proposes ‘residents-only’ parking.
“The number of parking permits allowed per house should not be limited to two but to the number of cars registered to that address. I would also support the provision of a guest permit for each house, that residents can give to guests for display in their vehicles when they come to visit. I would also propose that these measures be applied right across Kilkenny city as the creation of an on-street parking zone in the centre of town will simply force commuters to park in the areas along the boundary of the scheme, thus transferring the problem from one community to another,” concluded Mr Greene.
