Site for park-and-share facility in East Cork area identified

A new park-and-share facility has been identified for the East Cork area which, it is hoped, will help reduce increasing traffic congestion in the region.

Park-and-share facilities are designed for people who meet at a point to car-share, and these would be constructed off-road.

Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) is currently developing a park-and-share policy nationally to address the issue of informal or unauthorised parking along hard shoulders.

Following a request from TII, Cork County Council has identified one potential site on the R632 road in Castlemartyr, which links the village with Shanagarry, Ladysbridge, and Garryvoe, where there is an established pattern of informal or unauthorised parking daily.

This news was contained in a report presented to a meeting of the council’s East Cork Municipal District.

Park-and-ride

Meanwhile, the council is looking at the possible creation of park-and-ride facilities in the Midleton and Carrigtwohill areas.

The council has been successful in securing funding from the National Transport Authority (NTA) for the development of a Local Transport Plan (LTP) for the two towns, and it is expected that a technical advisor will be appointed before the end of this year to provide expertise in this process.

The NTA has also conducted a demand analysis for further park-and-ride facilities in the Cork Metropolitan Area (CMA).

Sites identified by the NTA as warranting further consideration for park-and-rides include Dunkettle adjacent to the N25, and a site adjacent to the N71 between Ballinhassig and Cork city.

Causing difficulties

Fine Gael councillor Rory Cocking said that the council should also develop a park-and-ride or park-and-share facility on the southside of Midleton.

Mr Cocking said that an unofficial park-and-share is in operation on the hard shoulder on the Ballinacurra road, and this is causing difficulties for emergency services getting through.

The council is to write to gardaí asking them to act on this.

Council chairwoman Fianna Fáil’s Ann Marie Ahern said they would ask the local authority’s Sustainable Travel Unit (STU) to examine the feasibility of a proper park-and-share facility in that area.

Meanwhile, the council is to write to the NTA requesting extended Local Link bus services in the Midleton and Youghal areas to take more cars off the road.