Residents Up In Arms Over Parking Meters

Date Published: 18-Jul-2008

THE Shantalla Residents Association (SRA) has expressed outrage following the introduction of parking meters along Shantalla Road without being consulted by Galway City Council.

Speaking on behalf of the SRA, Cllr Colette Connolly (Lab) said that it was the most active community organisation in the city and had rejected the proposed introduction of parking meters at three AGMs and two EGMs previously.

She accused the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure of disregarding the community’s wishes and acting without the direction of an elected representative.

“Directors of Services are supposed to respond to the direction of city councillors. They are not there to dictate policy. That they acted without consulting the residents association is anti-democratic and very bad policy,” she said.

Cllr Connolly accepted that the Director of Services Ciarán Hayes was in receipt of a petition from some Shantalla residents endorsing the introduction of parking meters, but questioned his claim that he acted following a representation from a city councillor.

“He says that he responded to a…