Parking ‘free for all’ in Galway City as meters are out of order

It is now ‘open season’ for motorists in Galway City who are ‘free to park for free almost wherever they like’, a city councillor has claimed.

Labour’s Billy Cameron says the city’s largest local authority car park at the Dyke Road has been a ‘free for all’ car park for the past two weeks at least because parking meters are out of order.

Cllr Cameron – who has inside information – says the Dyke Road is a ‘cash cow’ for the Council with 540 spaces, each commanding a charge of €4 per day.

He fears the local authority could be losing more than €2,000 every day the Dyke Road meters are out of action.

“It’s not only the Dyke Road. All of the parking meters in Newcastle are out of order, including University Road, Ashgrove, Newcastle Park, and right up as far as the hospital. All of the Claddagh, except for Claddagh Quay, are out, and so too is Nuns’ Island, and elsewhere in the city.

“The City Council is haemorrhaging money because the parking meters are out of order and soon the entire city will be one big free car park, if this is allowed to continue,” said Cllr Cameron.

A spokesperson for the Council acknowledged there was a “problem” with parking meters at the Dyke Road. He said, however, that there are “one or two” meters back operational at the Dyke Road for people to pay their daily parking charges.

The spokesperson confirmed meters are out of action in some residential areas.

Meanwhile, the issue was raised in Seanad Éireann this week by Sinn Féin’s Trevor Ó Clochartaigh.

During the Order of Business on Wednesday, the Galway senator again highlighted alleged “irregularities” in relation to Pay and Display parking meters.

The Galway City Tribune in January reported that a Council employee had been suspended pending an investigation.
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