'A bad habit that’s been allowed to escalate': Councillor slams illegal parking on Cork's MacCurtain St

Illegal parking on Cork city’s recently transformed MacCurtain St has been described as “madness” and the street has become the “cheapest car park in town”, according to a local councillor.

A review into street improvements in the area has been welcomed by Labour Party councillor for Cork City North East John Maher who has consistently raised issues with illegal parking on the new footpaths.

Funded by the National Transport Authority, works completed last year included major public realm investment, with over 12,530sq m of public realm and upgraded paths, new public lighting, seating, street furniture, and a substantial programme of tree and shrub planting.

However, Mr Maher said the ongoing illegal parking is a now a huge problem.

He told The Echo: “The bottom line is we are spending €4.5 million on infrastructure in the city to improve bus times and streetscapes, yet we have cars parking up outside where people are dining, we have buses potentially driving by, because they don’t have to pull in if it isn’t safe to do so.”

“What’s really frustrating to me is that there are multiple car parks in the area, and if you’re coming into MacCurtain St you’re spending money on food, the theatre, going for a pint. I don’t believe €5 or €6 parking is turning anyone away from the city,” he said.

“This is a bad habit that’s been allowed to escalate. 

“It’s the cheapest car park in town, at the moment, but it has such a knock-on effect on buses, on the condition of footpaths: We are creating tomorrow’s problem by allowing this.

“It’s not just MacCurtain St: It’s happening across the city. The law is being broken. We’ve flagged it time and time again and nothing is changing that would say to me that the system isn’t working.”

Solutions could be more planters or seating to block people from parking and also add to the streetscape, more ticketing, changing the parking warden hours to better reflect the times illegal parking occurs, or towing of cars rather than clamping, he said.

A council executive spokesperson for the Infrastructure Development and Roads & Environment Operations Directorate said that a review of the issues was being undertaken.

Review being undertaken 

They told Mr Maher, “The project was completed at the end of last year, following a 24-month construction period, and, since this date, the usual period of bedding-in has taken place.

“As with other projects of scale, any operational issues arising are addressed with due regard to experience during this period of various matters, such as traffic flow, congestion, pedestrian and cycle movement, parking, etc.

“In accordance with same, the Infrastructure Development and Operations Directorates are carrying out a review of the street to identify any further planting, signing, parking, and lining changes that may be required within the footprint of the current street layout.

“Any adjustments to be made in relation to street furniture, signage, planting, lining, etc, will be procured and delivered over the coming quarter.”

The spokesperson added that the area covered by the scheme is the subject of enforcement under the Traffic Warden Service, and that loading-bay usage “has generally been considerable and, outside the hours of loading, the spaces revert to parking spaces and are occupied as a car-parking space, which is normal practice".

“A review of the loading-bay provision on MacCurtain St also forms part of the aforementioned review of the street,” they added, saying that the entire MacCurtain St area “will continue to be monitored with a view to ensuring best benefit for the area”. 

Mr Maher also queried whether or not Bus Éireann was reporting repeated illegal parking, and a spokesperson for the company told The Echo, “Traffic congestion and illegal blocking of bus lanes/stops are key challenges in Cork.

“Our Cork drivers report consistent issues in relation to motorists illegally blocking bus lanes or vehicles parking at bus stops, both of which cause undue delays to services. 

“We are actively engaging with the local authority and An Garda Síochána on these matters.”

The MacCurtain St scheme incorporated the installation of one kilometre of new cycle lanes, providing connectivity to the wider cycle network, from Shandon St to the Marina, via dedicated cycling facilities, as well as upgrades to 17 signalised traffic junctions and pedestrian crossings; 12 new bus stops, five of which have shelters, and more than 30,360 metres of resurfaced roadway.