Parking fines fall as fewer people shopping

I read with interest figures provided by Cork City Council that parking fines decreased 22% during 2014. The council lists street-parking facilities and greater compliance levels as the reasons for this loss of revenue.

I beg to offer other reasons why fines have fallen. The public are no longer willing to visit the city to spend their hard-earned cash. Parking is expensive and the city has become one large vacant lot, with all the shop closures. The city council are unwilling to reduce either parking charges or rates and have maintained this approach during the economic meltdown.

I am sure this revenue stream will continue to decrease and the city, like Cork Airport, will soon become akin to a ghost estate. I plead with our city representatives once more to develop solutions to tackle these grave issues, which have the potential to devastate our local economy.