Mixed reaction to new parking laws in Ballyconnell

There has been mixed reaction to new parking rules that came into force in Ballyconnell this week restricting the maximum duration a car can remain parked on Main Street to just two hours, writes Ultan Sherry.

Under the new by-laws, if a warden sees that the car has been there for a longer period of time, a ticket will be issued to that car’s registered owner and they will have to pay a €40 fine. If they have parked in a disabled parking space, the fine will be €80.
The laws will have jurisdiction from the junction on Main Street up to the Market House in the town.
“It’s not a pay parking scheme. It’s simply a restricted period for two hours. We had a similar scheme in Belturbet for a number of years,” Cavan County Council’s Derry Scanlan told The Anglo-Celt.
Under the current laws, the designated traffic warden already covers parking bays, footpaths and double yellow lines for Ballyconnell, along with Belturbet and Cootehill. This however may have to change with the added responsibilities the warden has now.
“We haven’t discussed what the new arrangements will be yet when these new by-laws come in but we’re thinking that maybe the warden might spend a day in Ballyconnell [every week]. He won’t be there all the time,” Mr Scanlan explained.
The new by-laws have been met with a mixed reaction from local business owners in the town, with some saying that it will help improve their trade and others claiming it will be detrimental to their commerce.
Shop manager Patrick Maguire is one of those in favour of the by-laws.
“There’s been a serious lack of parking in this town for a number of years and it’s the small businesses that suffer, be it your butcher, your newsagents or your hairdresser,” he commented.
“People who come to the town and have nowhere to park will not stop. They’ll just keep going. People want accessibility. They want to be able to buy their things, buy their lotto, their ice-cream cone. They’re not going to walk for it any more,” added Mr Maguire.
“The town is your main street and the main street is the hub of your town. If you haven’t got your main street, then you’ve nothing,” he surmised.
Also in favour of the by-laws is local butcher Gerry Crowe, whose business is situated at the bottom of Main Street on the corner in Ballyconnell.
“There’s no need for people who are working during the day to park their cars on Main Street, as there’s other facilities. If you want to access the chemist, the butchers, or the bank, you need your parking space. It only takes 10 minutes to do your business in those premises,” he remarked.
“With the way it is now, there’s cars parked on the street all day and people can’t get parked. That means they can’t get access to these small independent retailers. We struggle the whole time when there’s no parking,” continued Mr Crowe.

'Going to ruin business’
Some businesses have expressed dismay at the new by-laws and feel that they could be counter-productive - instead of attracting more commerce to Ballyconnell that they will, in fact, drive more people away from the town.
One couple who have been in business in the town for years, and wish to remain anonymous, claimed that there already is no parking in the town as it is.
“This is going to ruin business along Main Street. There’s two already going.
“There’s one closing down next week and another one going in a few weeks because they know that people can’t get parking here on the main street,” they told this reporter.
“I’m sure it would be grand if we were provided with a proper parking ground somewhere within reasonable distance of the town.
“How is anyone supposed to come in though and do business if they can’t get parked somewhere on the street?” they continued.
Also expressing concern was Toirbhealach Lyons, who owns and runs the Molly Maguire pub on Main Street in Ballyconnell. He penned a letter to the editor in last week’s Celt on the issue.
Mr Lyons fears that businesses will have to close up shop because of the new by-laws.
“Even presently, the betting shop is gone. It went a few weeks ago, which means now there’s car park spaces there at the moment. There was a charity shop here but it’s gone as well. That’s all only in the last while.
“If they really want to close Ballyconnell, they’re going the right way about it!” he exclaimed to the Celt.
Mr Lyons also claimed that people in Belturbet want to get rid of similar parking by-laws, as they feel it has ruined business in their town.
Mr Lyons is also concerned about the impact of an impending Brexit and weakening Sterling on Ballyconnell. He fears some retailers in the town are “in for a hammering”, because “you can go up to Asda now [in Enniskillen] where they have everything half price!” Mr Lyons said.