Local councillors have slammed the “indiscriminate and illegal parking” taking place in Mullingar Business Park during car auctions held every Monday evening.
Cllr Pat Collins called on Westmeath County Council to seek the assistance of local Gardai to help monitor the parking situation in Mullingar Business Park, where patrons of the event are parking on double yellow lines.
“A lot of people go out walking in the Mullingar Business Park area, there are great footpaths, but on Monday nights a car auction takes place and there is some amount of traffic in the area.
“There are huge carparking spaces at the fire station and at the greyhound track, but patrons are parking on footpaths and pedestrians have to walk on the roads,” said Cllr Collins.
“I don’t think it is the council’s fault if they have put double yellow lines there; we need to contact the Gardai. People should be ticketed, it is gross misconduct by patrons. They are ignoring all regulations.”
Cllr Collins’ motion received strong support from Cllr Ken Glynn, who said illegal parking was “rampant” in the area.
“It’s an enforcement issue. Patrons have to respect the area, there has to be responsible parking. It is not one bit safe.”
Meanwhile Cllr Mick Dollard added that “foreign nationals are the vast majority” of people attending the auctions.
“The only way to address this is through strong enforcement. The people parking their cars there are completely indifferent, they couldn’t care less. There has got to be strict Garda enforcement.
“I would say the same if they were Irish people. Just because they are not from the country doesn’t mean they don’t have to adhere to the law.”
