Monday 17 December 2007

Parking meters a first for city

A SOLAR-POWERED pay and display parking system will be introduced in selected locations in Cork this week.

It will be the first time the city has seen parking meters on the streets.

Installation of the coin- operated machines on the South Mall, Fr Mathew Quay and Morrison’s Quay will begin today.

The system will be live in some areas within days and across the zone by next month.

Motorists will have the option of using this method of paying for parking, of using the traditional parking disc method or the city’s award-winning pay-by-phone system.

The price — €1.80 an hour — will remain the same for all methods of paying for parking.

The uptake by motorists of the pay and display system, as well as its back-office computer operations, will be closely monitored for the 12- month trial period before a decision is taken on whether to expand it further.

The city council has agreed to cover the costs of running and maintaining the system.

Independent Councillor Dave McCarthy, who has called repeatedly for the roll-out of this system, welcomed the news.

“This system will be of tremendous help to people who up until now risked being clamped, or ticketed while searching for an outlet that sells parking discs,” he said.

Irish Examiner

www.buckplanning.ie

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