Drivers in Fermanagh have shelled out £75,000 in parking fines last year. In addition to this it has been revealed that the Council generated £383,000 of revenue from car parking here in 2019.
The Council have responsibility for management and maintenance of 22 car parks across Fermanagh. Parking charges in Council managed car parks vary depending on their location, with slightly cheaper tariffs generally available in car parks further from the town centre.
Parking enforcement officers are a familiar site in Enniskillen. In 2019 the Council said it paid out £25,000 to officers. The figures were obtained through a Freedom of Information Request by the Fermanagh Herald.
Councillor Adam Gannon was in the minority of councillors who voted for free car parking in Enniskillen in the run up to Christmas. He says more can be done to encourage people to the town centre.
“The reality is that town centres and traditional retail is struggling to compete with online retailers and we should be doing everything possible to encourage people to go into the town and more can be done. That’s why I argued for free or discounted parking at Christmas. Hopefully the Public Realm Scheme will help with attract more people in.
“We should all look at ways to reduce our car usage for both environmental and cost reasons. Our bus services are generally poor and fairly expensive so people can’t rely on them but anyone who lives close enough to their work or the shops should consider cycling. I’m a cyclist myself and I find it a brilliant way to get in and out of the town.”
Speaking about the £75,000 parking fine total, Cllr Gannon said, “The figure for fines suggest somewhere in the region of 2-4 a day, which seems to be a reasonable figure as long as the fines have given correctly.”
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