In an effort to promote better parking management and to help support trade in our towns Andrew Doyle, Fine Gael TD for Wicklow/Carlow has highlighted the opportunity for people to participate in an online survey on parking being undertaken by Wicklow County Council.
“The online survey is part of a review currently underway into parking across County Wicklow and was inspired at least partly by the Co. Wicklow Economic Think Tank which recognised the need to develop a consistent pay parking policy that supports retail activity.
“As in other counties, there is a compelling need to address challenges for the retail sector in towns and villages in our County and to identify the practical actions that can be taken by Government and the industry itself to support the sector.
“Pay parking is one element of a parking management system. There are other issues around parking management in towns including parking space availability for buses, information and signage which are intrinsic to a good visitor experience which also needs to be considered.
“Pay parking is often not perceived as a support to retail activity or as an encouragement to shoppers. There is a need to put a more uniform system in place across our towns in Wicklow and to devise a system which is all about ensuring footfall, smooth circulation of traffic and providing secure, accessible and reasonably priced parking. It is important to provide more clarity on the motivation for pay parking than has previously been evident.
“I will be writing to Wicklow County Council in the context of this parking review as I believe it is important to develop a consistent parking management system across the county and that this is done against the backdrop of doing whatever is possible to stimulate trade, commerce and tourism across the county. I would encourage the Council to assess other counties across Ireland who may have undertaken similar reviews in an effort to devise an effective parking management system and also to ensure the Council is consulting with relevant stakeholders and bodies working to rejuvenate our towns and boost retail activity.
“I would urge people who have an opinion on this subject to take part in this online survey. Further opportunities for engagement as part of the consultation process will take place once the new draft parking byelaws have been formulated. Written submissions can be sent to Christine Flood, Senior Executive Officer in Wicklow Co Council or by emailing parking@wicklowcoco.ie or doing the online survey on Wicklow Co Council website. Closing date for receipt of observations or questionnaires is Friday 29th May.”
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