Cllr calls for suspension of pay parking in Mallow
PARKING charges should be suspended for three months in order to give local businesses breathing space as they begin to slowly recover from the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic.
That’s the view of local county councillor Gearóid Murphy (FF), who has called on Cork County Council to implement the measure in order to encourage people back into the town in conjunction with the easing of social distancing restrictions.
He said that while the authority had been slow to implement the measure, other councils around the country, including Cork City Council, have temporarily suspended parking charges.
While council senior executive Mary Hayes previously pointed out the Mallow wardens had been temporarily stood down during the pandemic, Cllr Murphy said that a number of local businesses had contacted him seeking further clarity on the issue.
“The pandemic has had a devastating impact on the entire economy, but especially on small and medium businesses. In towns like Mallow, these are not only the backbone of the local economy, but also major contributors to the community at large,” said Cllr Murphy.
“A number of local businesses have contacted me on this issue, so I have proposed a threemonth suspension of parking charges to encourage people to once again shop locally in Mallow. I have raised this at a number of Council meetings and also privately with Council officials. I will continue to advocate for this until it is hopefully implemented,” he added.
Under his proposal only parking charges would be suspended, with other restrictions such as time limits and parking in double yellow lines and in disabled bays remaining in place.
“I acknowledge the other supports being offered by Cork County Council to businesses, such as the rates waiver scheme, the restart grants worth up to €10,000 and the trading online vouchers. These are all very important and I would encourage all business owners to contact the North Cork Local Enterprise Office to get advice on how to avail of them,” said Cllr Murphy.
“However, suspension of parking charges would be just one more measure in what must be a multi-faceted approach to helping our local economy to re-open for business.”
Meanwhile, Ms Hayes has said that the process of the council recruiting its own traffic wardens after its contract with APCOA was not renewed was “nearing its conclusion.”
“We expect to see our own wardens on the streets of the town very soon,” she said.