Cllrs not singing off same hymn sheet over Donegal Town car parking ticket fines

A Donegal Municipal District Councillor, Cllr Micheál Naughton has expressed his deep frustration with regard to the regulation of car parking charges and the issuing of fines by Donegal Council Council in car parks and on-street parking in Donegal Town. 

However, another member Cllr Tom Conaghan said that some people could have been spoilt in the past regarding parking in the town. And the traffic warden was only trying to do his job and revenues raised were then used within the town, he pointed out.

At the meeting on Tuesday Cllr Micheál Naughton said that it was an intolerable situation where someone was popping into a shop to get a coffee on the way to work gets a parking ticket.

He also referred to someone in good faith who diligently pays charges each day of the week if working in town and then to be issued with a parking fine, because they are 15 or 20 minutes beyond their ticket expiration period.

He added that he would himself sometimes pop into the bank on the way to work as another example of latitude being needed, for small errands to be completed.

Cllr Naughton suggested that there should be free parking for the first half hour. At present, it showed a complete disrespect to those paying business rates in the town who needed customers and business. 

He claimed others were being ticketed who were working in town on a daily basis and being fined, if they happen to slip up. 

He had no issue with a person being ticketed if their car was in a car park or location all day without any payment, but the current regime in force was showing a "total disrespect" and "sending out the wrong message" to those that were coming to the town.

He said that he was receiving complaints about the lack of any latitude when it came to the issuing of parking tickets on a daily basis and that there was an onus on councillors to look at this.

"We all know the cost of living, but if someone pops into a shop for five or ten minutes they should not be penalised," he said. 

Cllr Tom Conaghan said it may be a case where certain people in the past were being spoiled when it came to parking around the town and the traffic warden was only doing his job. Cllr Naughton replied that he did not want an argument but he was talking about people coming in every day, trying to do their work.

He added that he knew all about people making complaints but that in his case, they came knocking on his door to which Cllr Naughton replied that his complaints also came by phone. 

Cllr Naughton went on to say that many of the people using the car parks were not tourists but people that are actively contributing to Donegal Town. They park here every day of the week, pay their dues, yet get a fine the day they are 15/20 minutes over, he said.

He cited another case of a woman receiving parking fines on two consecutive days.  

Area Manager Mark Sweeney said that a big effort had been made regarding parking regulations in the Diamond area especially with buses being forced to double park in the road because people were using the bus lane spaces allocated for their buses and they were focusing on those busier areas.

Cllr Naughton suggested getting the AVS linked onto the old Laghey road and taking away that school traffic each day would be more productive than a traffic warden putting tickets on cars.

Mr Sweeney said such plans were actively being pursued.

Later Cllr Conaghan told the Democrat/Donegal Live that the council had gone out of their way to get free parking available in Donegal Town and one of them was up at the old Donegal Town fire station location at the Chapel. 

He said that while it was not happening every hour and every day, some people were stopping in their cars at the crossover at the Diamond and reading the paper.

"Lorries might come over and block traffic on the other side and I know there are problems with the buses but we are trying and it will work eventually because we are working on a one way system.

Regarding the pay and display in town he added: "As a councillor, I wouldn't make any bones about it. It's a big help to the town with different things happening and it (the money raised) is spent within the town."

He pointed out that the same things that were being said to Cllr Naughton were being said to him, "I'm local," he said.

Cllr Naughton later told the Democrat/Donegal Live that his point was simply that if a person was coming into town on a daily basis, paying a parking ticket on a daily basis, that there had to be greater latitude in handing out fines.

They may be late getting back to the car, but for that, they should not be penalised, as opposed to someone who has tried to avoid paying for a ticket and stayed at the same location for most of the day, he suggested.     

He also said that it was an unacceptable scenario where someone was stopping off briefly to pick up a coffee and as they returned to the car, a ticket was being issued at that same time, as that person was moving on.    

"We all want the traffic to move around the town smoothly, but there is a way of doing things, annoying the business people that are paying their rates and are paying for the traffic warden. We all know about the cost of living and how tight things are at the moment.

"A woman going to her work and getting fined €40 two days running after putting on a parking ticket on her car and unfortunately she got held up at work as she was answering questions, in getting back to her car. That is unacceptable." 

It was pointed out at the meeting by council officials that a certain time had to elapse between a ticket running out and the ability of any traffic warden to issue a fine.