The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
More parking to address Killarney traders’ concerns
EIGHT PARKING SPACES WILL NOT BE REMOVED FROM KILLARNEY AFTER MINOR CHANGES MADE IN TOWN POST LOCK-DOWN SAFETY PLAN
MORE age-friendly parking, including 15-minute set-down parking spaces, has been provided in Killarney town following discussions on the new town safety plan.
Kerry County Council has drawn up plans for towns across the county to allow for safe re-opening post-COVID, resulting to changes in town lay-out across the county.
Such changes include the loss of parking and alterations to traffic flow.
In Killarney, this was to lead to the loss of 58 car-parking spaces, as well as the full-time pedestrianisation of Plunkett Street. Following the council’s proposals, some traders raised concerns about the impact that the loss of parking would have on their businesses, and council management has agreed to some changes in that regard. Instead of the loss of 58 spaces, this has now reduced to 50 with the eight parking spaces re-allocated for short-term parking and age-friendly parking in areas where concerns were raised, including on High Street.
A meeting of the Killarney Municipal District took place last Thursday, and while councillors discussed the plans and raised concerns, they do not have a vote on the final plan. Council management has the final say on the plan, and this led to some discussion among councillors, including Cllr Maura Healy-Rae, who called for councillors to be allowed to vote on the matter.
Kerry County Council Engineer Frank Hartnett said that the plan will ensure the safety of everyone using Killarney town, in particular the safety of all on the streets. This, he said, has led to the removal of a number of parking berths on streets to temporarily widen the footpaths in a bid to allow pedestrians pass. This too will lead to the pedestrianisation of Plunkett Street on a full-time basis for the summer to allow pedestrians pass safely.
“We looked at footpaths across the town and the footfall. We identified areas where there was high footfall and narrow footpaths, and we carried out interventions and used the road space,” he said.
Deputy Mayor of Killarney, Brendan Cronin, who stepped in for Mayor Michael Gleeson at last Thursday’s meeting, said the objective is to try and do everything that is humanly possible to open up the town safely and in line with government regulations on social distancing and queuing for shops.
Killarney Municipal Manager Angela McAllen said that the plan is temporary and only in place until the end of August.
Plunkett Street pedestrianisation, which will be advertised under a temporary road closure in local media this week to allow for submissions, will be from July 3 to September 2. This aspect of the plan has angered some local traders, who feel that the council is trying to bring in the 24-hour pedestrianisation of this street in a ‘back-door’ manner.
A number of traders who spoke to The Kerryman last week were concerned about this aspect of the plan.
“There is a perception that there is something under-hand going on. This was said to members of the business community. This is not the case. These are emergency measures and will be reviewed in a 10-week period,” said Cllr Cronin.
Cllr Donal Grady said he had made the back-door comment. “I am wary of pedestrianisation. I said about bringing it in the back-door, and I won’t apologise,” he added.
The plan will be reviewed immediately if the social distancing requirement – currently two metres – is reduced to one metre. Manager Ms McAllen, however, said this would not apply to Plunkett Street pedestrianisation, as there is not enough space on this particular street to accommodate one-metre social distancing.
The plan, which was published online last week, allowed the public and business community to made observations, with 49 observations made – 35 of which were positive. The remainder raised concerns about how the changes would adversely affect specific businesses, and parking was a key concern. Pedestrianisation was also raised. Management also visited town centre businesses to explain the plan and to address any concerns. Changes have been made to the original plan published in light of these concerns, with more 15-minute set-down spaces on the streets as well as age-friendly parking spaces. For instance, allowing for such a space near the top of Plunkett Street/College Street near Reens Pharmacy will be looked at after concerns by owner Eoin Reen were raised. Changes to High Street also included the section from Flemings Lane to Bowers Lane, where two of the seven spaces that were to be removed will now be kept and changed to 15-minute set-down spaces to address concerns about parking.
Councillors praised management for the plan to help re-open in the town and said that the key issue is to promote the town as the best and safest place to visit.
“Killarney is one of the best towns in the world to live in... It is the safest town to visit and the best town. I want to see a vibrant town going forward,” said Cllr Niall ‘Botty’ O’Callaghan.