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