THE COUNCIL has said it’s controversial move to increase parking charges in many local carparks has been having “the desired impact” in forcing long-stay parkers elsewhere.
However, it appears many workers are still using the premium car parks, and are simply having to pay more.
Several of Enniskillen’s town centre carparks saw their prices jump in September this year, after the Council commissioned a parking strategy and action plan, causing concern among many low-paid workers in the town.
The Council has since commissioned a report to gauge how the change to prices had been affecting parking in the town. In a report delivered to the December environmental services committee a spokesman said its strategy “appears to have had the desired impact in that long stay usage in premium car parks has decreased and space availability has increased, with vehicles relocating to nearby non-premium car parks.”
“In general in the Council carparks where premium tariffs were introduced weekday space turnover and availability has increased (by an estimated 50 more spaces now typically available in either town),” they stated.
A survey carried consultants AECOM, who the Council commissioned to help with its strategy, in late September and early October 59 percent of overall weekday parking was long-stay, down by three percent on the previous year’s findings. In total 1,136 cars recorded in the morning and 1,097 in the afternoon, 659 were long stay. In the four Enniskillen car parks where premium tariffs were introduced occupancy has decreased by between 10-50 percent, and overall space availability has increased by 65 spaces during the week. Long stay parking has reduced from 27-65 percent to 14-43 percent. Weekday parking at two nearby non-premium car parks and two other free Council carparks has increased.
“It is evident vehicles that previously parked in the premium Council sites have relocated to nearby Council parking facilities and therefore are not parking in neighbouring residential street areas,” said the report’s authors.”
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