Murrisk car parking charges; the facts.

1. Croagh Patrick has been a centre of local and national religious significance for centuries.

 

2. There is Free Parking at the huge car park provided and maintained by Mayo County Council at Knock Shrine.

 

3. It will cost twice as much to park in Murrisk as it does in Westport Town.   Murrisk will charge €1 for first hour and 50c for every subsequent hour.  Westport Town charges 60c for first hour and 20c for every subsequent hour with one hour's free parking

 

4. It will cost €2.50 to climb the mountain if your car is parked for four hours in the car park.

 

5. The pay and display system is unworkable in that no traffic warden from Mayo County Council is going to travel to Murrisk to enforce the system.  It would simply cost too much.  Therefore the system will be more "Catch me if you can" than "Pay and Display".

 

6. A voluntary contribution towards parking would be are more civilised approach to helping Murrisk Development Association in its work.

 

7. Car Parking charges should be used to ensure a turnover of car parking spaces in busy areas, they should never be used as simple revenue collection system and should never be used in isolated villages like Murrisk. 

 

8. Murrisk's Car Parking charges will only lead to increased parking along the roadway, in front of businesses and private residences, down boreens and in and around the Abbey and Graveyard.

 

9. Mayo County Council budget last year was over €400 Million, an investment of €150,000 in Murrisk car park is a drop in the ocean and is a stealth tax on provision of public services (such as car parks) and on tourism.

 

10. There is no final agreement between Murrisk Development Association and Mayo County Council over an actual percentage of the fee going to MDA or on whether the charge should be hourly as proposed by Mayo County Council.

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Faithfully

Cllr Keith Martin
086 0691182

Murrisk car parking charges; the facts.

1. Croagh Patrick has been a centre of local and national religious significance for centuries.

 

2. There is Free Parking at the huge car park provided and maintained by Mayo County Council at Knock Shrine.

 

3. It will cost twice as much to park in Murrisk as it does in Westport Town.   Murrisk will charge €1 for first hour and 50c for every subsequent hour.  Westport Town charges 60c for first hour and 20c for every subsequent hour with one hour's free parking

 

4. It will cost €2.50 to climb the mountain if your car is parked for four hours in the car park.

 

5. The pay and display system is unworkable in that no traffic warden from Mayo County Council is going to travel to Murrisk to enforce the system.  It would simply cost too much.  Therefore the system will be more "Catch me if you can" than "Pay and Display".

 

6. A voluntary contribution towards parking would be are more civilised approach to helping Murrisk Development Association in its work.

 

7. Car Parking charges should be used to ensure a turnover of car parking spaces in busy areas, they should never be used as simple revenue collection system and should never be used in isolated villages like Murrisk. 

 

8. Murrisk's Car Parking charges will only lead to increased parking along the roadway, in front of businesses and private residences, down boreens and in and around the Abbey and Graveyard.

 

9. Mayo County Council budget last year was over €400 Million, an investment of €150,000 in Murrisk car park is a drop in the ocean and is a stealth tax on provision of public services (such as car parks) and on tourism.

 

10. There is no final agreement between Murrisk Development Association and Mayo County Council over an actual percentage of the fee going to MDA or on whether the charge should be hourly as proposed by Mayo County Council.

--
Faithfully

Cllr Keith Martin
086 0691182

Murrisk car parking charges; the facts.

1. Croagh Patrick has been a centre of local and national religious significance for centuries.

 

2. There is Free Parking at the huge car park provided and maintained by Mayo County Council at Knock Shrine.

 

3. It will cost twice as much to park in Murrisk as it does in Westport Town.   Murrisk will charge €1 for first hour and 50c for every subsequent hour.  Westport Town charges 60c for first hour and 20c for every subsequent hour with one hour's free parking

 

4. It will cost €2.50 to climb the mountain if your car is parked for four hours in the car park.

 

5. The pay and display system is unworkable in that no traffic warden from Mayo County Council is going to travel to Murrisk to enforce the system.  It would simply cost too much.  Therefore the system will be more "Catch me if you can" than "Pay and Display".

 

6. A voluntary contribution towards parking would be are more civilised approach to helping Murrisk Development Association in its work.

 

7. Car Parking charges should be used to ensure a turnover of car parking spaces in busy areas, they should never be used as simple revenue collection system and should never be used in isolated villages like Murrisk. 

 

8. Murrisk's Car Parking charges will only lead to increased parking along the roadway, in front of businesses and private residences, down boreens and in and around the Abbey and Graveyard.

 

9. Mayo County Council budget last year was over €400 Million, an investment of €150,000 in Murrisk car park is a drop in the ocean and is a stealth tax on provision of public services (such as car parks) and on tourism.

 

10. There is no final agreement between Murrisk Development Association and Mayo County Council over an actual percentage of the fee going to MDA or on whether the charge should be hourly as proposed by Mayo County Council.

--
Faithfully

Cllr Keith Martin
086 0691182

Murrisk Car Parking Charges are Stealth Tax on tourism

Labour's Cllr Keith Martin has condemned the introduction of car parking charges at the Reek Car Park in Murrisk as "backward and short sighted" saying they will only discourage visitors to Murrisk and lead to dangerous parking along the side of the road.

Cllr Martin added that he was very surprised that the introduction of charges was unanimously backed by local County Councillors and said the car parking charge was just a stealth tax on Murrisk Tourism.

"I'm surprised that this backward and short sighted move is being fully supported by all the local County Councillors given the precarious situation in relation to tourism in Murrisk.  Murrisk has a lot to offer given his beauty and historical and religious significance and charging for parking detracts from this.  In effect visitors will now be charged to climb Croagh Patrick, visit the Abbey or contemplate at the Famine Memorial.

Murrisk Development Association and the people of Murrisk have put huge efforts into making their area beautiful and welcoming.  These charges are a real set back to those efforts. 

Introducing car parking charges at a site of international religious importance and natural beauty is also questionable behaviour at the best of times, introducing those charges in the middle of the worst recession in history, when tourism is threatened by everything from travel costs to volcanoes smacks of stupidity.

I'm amazed that this received the support of local County Councillors.  I condemn these charges completely and urge the councillors to reconsider.  These charges could kill Murrisk's tourism and lead to dangerous parking on the main road..

The justification of these charges, namely that the council must re-coup the money spent improving the car park is facetious as the council spends millions on improving roadways but does not turn them into toll road s to re-coup the costs.  This car parking charge is just a stealth tax by Mayo County Council on tourism in Murrisk.

The idea that Mayo County Council can afford to hire a traffic warden to enforce these charges is laughable and would cost more than the car parking charge would generate.  Even part time the costs involved in hiring and dispatching a warden to Murrisk car park every day is a joke.  It's only a pity that this car parking charge isn't a joke too."

Cllr Keith Martin
086 0691182

May Day photo's

For the 4th year in a row the Labour Party commemorate the life and work of Michael Davitt with a wreath laying ceremony at the Michael Davitt memorial in Westport.