Traffic Wardens on duty GKFH28
THERE has been mixed reaction to news three local towns are to lose their parking patrols.
Under a new review of Transport NI’s operations, parking attendants will no longer be making regular visits to dozens of towns where fewer than an average of 10 parking tickets a month have been issued. Included in the list of areas set to lose their parking patrols are Lisnaskea, Irvinestown and Fivemiletown.
Generally, local reaction to the news has been positive, however some are worried bad old habits may now creep back, causing disruption.
Caolan Goan of Goan Meats in Lisnaskea welcomed the news: “People are definitely quite wary where they parking, they are worried about it when they come in, but of course the traffic wardens are just doing their job. Hopefully this will improve business.”
Alma Kinnear of the Kissin Crust in the town, however, was a little less optimistic.
“People could become more complacent and take advantage,” she said. “It’s unfortunate people are like that and have to be managed by parking attendants. They used to come on random days, and that kept people on their toes, but now I’d be afraid complacency would creep back in again.”
Ms Kinnear, who said businesses were urging the Council to improve carparks in the town, added it wasn’t fair for businesses such on the street that some drivers may now take up the spaces on an all-day basis, forcing customers, who will only have parked on a short-term basis, to have to park further away.
In Irvinestown, local hairdresser and barber Patricia O’Neill said she really didn’t think there was need for parking attendants in the town.
“Nobody blocks the road anymore, people don’t park here for long,” she said, adding her customers would only be in the barbers for around 20 minutes or so. “They just park up to pick up their newspaper or milk and so on. They don’t park long.
“People in small towns don’t know what a traffic jam is.”
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