Cork town moves to end private operation of pay parking enforcement

A number of county councillors want the reintroduction of their own traffic warden in Mallow and the disbandment of an agreement with a private company currently operating the service on the local authority's behalf.

Mallow is the only town in Co Cork which has a private company handing out parking tickets.

All other towns with pay parking are administered by council-employed wardens.

A review of pay parking in Mallow is currently being carried out by council officials and a number of councillors expressed the view that the private company was being over-zealous in handing out parking tickets and this was driving shoppers out of the town.

Councillors raised the issue at a meeting of the Kanturk/Mallow Municipal District Council during a debate which followed a joint motion from Cllrs Tony O'Shea and Liam Madden.

They called for the reintroduction of council parking wardens and a simplification of the town's parking system.

Cllr O'Shea said he welcomed the review that was going to take place and that the council had free on-street parking from Friday lunchtime to Monday morning "which is good".

However, he said there were different zones with different time limits and the system needed to be simplified.

Cllr Madden said there was a lot of confusion about parking zones.

"When you go to your meter you have to put on glasses to see the instructions. The parking isn't user-friendly and driving people away," Cllr Madden said.

Cllr Gearoid Murphy said: "There's a perception out there that Mallow is bad news for parking. We need to make it easier and more convenient for people."

Cllr Pat Hayes said: "The reality is there's a strong possibility you will get a parking ticket. This has decimated business in Mallow. If we don't change the system we have we will drive people away.

"We need to bring back our own traffic warden. There is no bit of give and take with them (the contractors). We need to do something radical to promote Mallow and get it backs on its feet."

Cllr John Paul O'Shea agreed with him. "We need to take back the ownership of parking ourselves. I want an update on the review at our December meeting," he said.

Council officials defended the contractors. Liz Donovan, the municipal district officer, said that on average they gave out five to seven parking tickets a day, which she didn't think was too excessive.

The council's senior executive officer, Mary Hayes, said they didn't want to create a negative image of the town.