Cork towns to introduce cashless parking meters

Some coin-based meters will be retained to give motorists a choice, officials clarified

Cork County Council have plans to upgrade parking meters in towns across  the county, so that they'll accept cashless payments. Picture: Sam Boal / RollingNews.ie

Plans are being drawn up to upgrade parking meters in towns across Co Cork so they'll accept cashless payments.

Cork County Council has confirmed it's currently “examining newer technologies (cashless based payment options) for pay parking,” primarily as a result of more people turning to card transactions during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Niall Healy, the council's director of services, said the local authority has 158 coin-operated meters across the county, apart from West Cork, where councillors voted some years ago against their introduction.

“The key objective of pay parking is to ensure an effective turnover of parking spaces in our town centres. The current system required motorists to use coin-based parking meters. 

"It is recognised that one of the enduring legacies from the pandemic is the transition to cashless-based payment systems and the council is examining newer technologies for them,” Mr Healy said.

He said the council is keen to ensure that any technology solution would be capable of providing much greater information with regard to parking patterns, parking movements and turnover of spaces.

“This would assist in providing the most efficient and effective overall parking management solution which would support motorists while also supporting town centre economies and increased footfall,” Mr Healy said.

Complement coin-based system

“It is important to recognise that any such cashless system would complement the existing coin-based system. It would be important to afford the motorist choice in terms of convenience and payment options. It is recognised that not everybody is comfortable with cashless-based systems and as a consequence coin based meters would continue in operation,” he said.

Council chief executive Tim Lucey said a pilot scheme could be tested in Cobh, where a number of parking meters have broken down because of their age.

Councillors, representing that area, have asked that some new machines be cashless, especially because of the number of tourists who visit the town. Mr Lucey said they are keen to move to cashless systems "over time".

“But we'll still want to facilitate some dual system because some people will want to pay by cash,” Mr Lucey said.

Meanwhile, councillors in the Fermoy Municipal District are also seeking the introduction of card-paying opportunities there.

At their monthly meeting last Tuesday, they welcomed news that council bosses are looking at introducing such systems.

“That will be very good news,” Fianna Fáil councillor Deirdre O'Brien said.

Fine Gael councillor Kay Dawson said she was recently in Killarney, Co Kerry and such systems were available there.

“We have to have cashless payment opportunities as more and more people have turned to using cards,” 

Fianna Fáil councillor Frank O'Flynn said.

However, Independent councillor Frank Roche said many elderly people he knows would rather pay by cash and they would have to be facilitated as well. He suggested some meters be retained to provide this payment option.