Macroom - Half Hour Free Parking

trotter_inc

I read in the Examiner yesterday that Macroom Town Council have finally agreed to provide free parking in the town, but it's just half an hour. Most of the businesses in the town were pushing for 2 hours free parking and in my opinion they are right, half an hour isn't enough. For anyone coming in to the town to do their shopping half an hour won't give them much shopping time.

I know most people just park in Lidl or Dunnes for free anyway, but pay parking in the main town areas is turning people away from going up in to the main street and square to do any other shopping.

Miaireland

Half an hour will work for people who just want to pop in a buy a newspaper or post a letter. I can't really see how much business will increase from that. It still is easier for people to park in Dunnes and do all there business there.

trotter_inc

Miaireland wrote: »

I can't really see how much business will increase from that. It still is easier for people to park in Dunnes and do all there business there.

Totally agree, it's businesses like the card shop, Harnetts butchers, Clancys Fish shop etc who will be really affected. Most people won't go to Dunnes or Lidl and then walk up to Harnetts for their meat, they'll just get it in Dunnes or Lidl. Personally, I would make the effort to go up, there are far too many empty businesses in Macroom as it is

ORACLE2

30 min Free Parking for Macroom is a joke,I know Dunnes/Lidl are good shops to have in the town but the smaller town retailers are suffering as a result of the Free Parking that these two big players offer to there Customers,the only thing that is keeping a fair amount of retailers from closing is that they are family owned and dont have any rent to pay on there properties,if this wasn`t the case a lot more would be gone and certainly the charge on parking is doing no favours for the Town Centre Retailers at all, they need to be given a chance to do some buissness in the town as well,I would make the effort too to go into the town itself if I was parked down near Lidl/Dunnes but surely the Town Council might meet the Local Retailers half way and increase the Free Parking to 1 hour even,it wouldn`t hurt them to do that now surely.

trotter_inc wrote: »

Totally agree, it's businesses like the card shop, Harnetts butchers, Clancys Fish shop etc who will be really affected. Most people won't go to Dunnes or Lidl and then walk up to Harnetts for their meat, they'll just get it in Dunnes or Lidl. Personally, I would make the effort to go up, there are far too many empty businesses in Macroom as it is

cjmcork

I like to eat out in the town when I get a chance and if I bring my mum to Macroom, she's far too lazy (seriously) to walk from Lidl or Dunnes to, say, Granvilles.........if they allowed people to park in the town for free for the 2 hours like they did over the Christmas holidays, it wouldn't be any harm plus people would spend more money in the town..........jeeez!:rolleyes:

trotter_inc

ORACLE2 wrote: »

surely the Town Council might meet the Local Retailers half way and increase the Free Parking to 1 hour even,it wouldn`t hurt them to do that now surely.

This is exactly the point, the Town Council won't meet them half way. According to the article in the Examiner 2 votes took place:

1. 1 hour free parking
2. 1/2 hour free parking

The vote for number 1 didn't receive a majority in favour so they voted on number 2 and this was passed. The councils argument was that they needed to charge for parking in order to reduce their budget deficit, typical government attitude of passing the costs right down to the bottom of the chain instead of reducing their costs.

Miaireland

Isn't the money from parking used for the St Patrick's day Parade and the town twinning with places in Italy, etc. Personally I would be happy to see the end of the Twinning.

trotter_inc

Miaireland wrote: »

Isn't the money from parking used for the St Patrick's day Parade and the town twinning with places in Italy, etc. Personally I would be happy to see the end of the Twinning.

No idea to be honest Mia, I'm only going by what the article said and according to that it mentioned nothing about where the money went exactly; it just said that it was needed to reduce the council budget deficit.

If parking costs were being use to fund town twinning then I'd definitely be up for abolishing the twinning initiative if it resulted in free parking in the town. From what I can see there is no link between town business and town twinning.

corked

Can I just ask if you must buy the disk first and then get your free parking?
Can't say that I've seen signs advertising free parking....

Miaireland

You can park for half an hour before you buy your disc. Or else you can buy your ticket and park for an hour and a half.