Sir, – About six years ago, the running of Dún Laoghaire parking control was handed over to a private company. The town had limited parking. All the streets in the town area were turned into pay and display areas to control all-day parking. Soon it changed from parking control to a revenue-gathering exercise. The private parking company had eight to 10 wardens working the town area each day. Each had a minimum target of 16 tickets per day. At the start there was a “grace period” of 20 minutes to enable people to buy a ticket and at the end of time to get back to the car. The council changed the grace period to 15 minutes. Tickets were being issued left, right and centre and Dún Laoghaire earned the terrible name as the most likely place in Ireland to get a parking fine.
In the past 20-plus years I have been doing business in this town the council has not provided any car parking spaces. John Waters is a regular shopper in Dún Laoghaire and has been well aware that businesses in the town are losing out to Dundrum where parking is €2 for three hours, Carrickmines where there is no parking charge, Cornelscourt, where there is also no charge and other smaller shopping centres within a radius of a couple of miles. John Waters has been very sympathetic to business owners who have lost their businesses and the ones who are struggling to survive. As he said “his favourite shops are disappearing week on week”. Two weeks ago Marks & Spencer closed its doors in the town and 25 people lost their jobs. The town has more than 70 empty premises (offices and shops) in its central area – not counting the many closed units in the old shopping centre. Our retail offer is diminishing and we have a town full of hairdressing establishments, beauty shops and charity shops.
Most councils around the country are happy to have rates revenue. Some towns have free parking for two hours on the streets to try to encourage commerce. Not so Dun Laoghaire, because staff who work at the council have free parking – and never have to look for a space. Between spaces at the Town Hall car park, Harbour Square, Dún Laoghaire Harbour and Bloomfield Shopping Centre, they have more spaces than are available on the streets for the entire town. I see John Waters’s stand as pointing out the injustice of what has happened to a town. I see it as taking a stand on behalf of the community. – Yours, etc,
ANN JOYCE,
Northumberland Avenue,
Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin.