Car parking quandary

This week saw the beginning of the end for the current parking system in the town.

Over the next 12 weeks the central reservation area in the town will be transformed into a pedestrian plaza with benches and feature lighting.

Parking is also set to change radically.

Instead of drivers parking head-on, often forcing them to reverse into a lane of on-coming traffic they will park with the flow of traffic.

James Carmody project manager for contractors SIAC said the new system would be much safer for road users.

Following a meeting with the council and the contractor, the 'MAIL' asked for a confirmation on the number of parking spaces which would be left after the work.

Figures supplied from the council show that there will be 12 more spaces on Market Street and at Church Place - an increase from 50 to 62.

There will be an extra bus stop, leaving five, one more disabled bay, leaving three and one extra loading bay, leaving two.

This has contradicted earlier reports that the public realm scheme would actually reduce the amount of spaces in total - although there is an obvious reduction in the spaces available in the central portion of the street.

Meanwhile at Monday night's council meeting Councillor Dolores Kelly asked about a piece of '70cm of pavement that has to be relaid'.

Chairman of the Chamber of Trade, Charlie Gardiner announced at a public meeting last month that a 'mistake' had been made and the pavement outside Gordon's Chemist reduced the road width to one lane when the bus stop was in use.

He told the town's traders that the pavement had to be taken up and relaid to ensure two lanes of traffic were maintained at all times.

However, in a statement the council said the road would be 'sufficient to allow vehicles to pass while a bus is parked and therefore maintain two lanes of traffic'.

In response to Cllr Kelly's question on Monday night about the piece of pavement, Director of Development Olga Murtagh said: "There is an investigation underway."