The disparity in parking charges across Tipperary needs to be tackled according to a local Councillor.
Parking fees will generate a projected €2.8 million next year with Clonmel accounting for almost half of this.
On street parking in Clonmel and Carrick on Suir is currently €1.20 per hour.
This compares with just 50 cent per hour in some other towns according to Councillor Michael Murphy.
“We need to harmonise parking charges across the county. We can’t have a situation whereby someone in Clonmel is paying €1.20 an hour and then they drive to Nenagh and they’re paying 50 to 75 cent an hour. So I think that needs to be harmonised.
“We’re an amalgamated county now – we were amalgamated in 2014 – I think its regrettable that ten years into the amalgamation of North and South Tipperary County Council we still don’t have harmonisation of parking charges.”
While the charges will remain the same for the coming year Council officials have agreed to look at streamlining parking fees in the future.
Councillor Murphy is hopeful that this will be completed by 2025.
“Mainly in the interest of fairness and perception and so on. But its not just about the rate, its about everything around the incentives, the free parking – be it at Christmas and so on – on-street parking, parking in car parks. Whatever the parking regime is in one town it should be the same in all other towns as well.
“I welcome the commitment from the Chief Executive, from the Director of Roads, from the Head of Finance that the process will begin now.”
