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Trader considers leaving Buncrana
17.03.10
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Parking regime
"driving customers away"
A BUSINESSMAN is considering pulling out of Buncrana
claiming the town's current parking regime is
driving customers away.
Mobile phone trader Francis Callaghan claims the
seaside town's retail trade is being "seriously
damaged" as a result of a parking fee system that
doesn't take into consideration the changed economic
times.
He urged Buncrana Town Council to urgently introduce
a 30 minute grace period for drivers before a ticket
would be issued by parking attendants.
"Shoppers are not coming to Buncrana and are totally
avoiding the town," he said. Shoppers can travel to
Carndonagh, Derry or Lettekenny and park for a
limited time free of charge.
"A 30 minute grace period for all shoppers needs to
be applied for those shoppers who wish to park
anywhere in the town before a parking ticket could
be issued."
Mr Callaghan who runs the 02 franchise in the North
West through the Digitalfone network said the
message needed to go out that Buncrana "is open for
business". He said the opposite perception was
currently at play. |
"I was a supporter of
the parking system in the town when it was
implemented two years ago but not the way it’s being
implemented at present by Buncrana Town Council.
"I know there was a need for the restrictions two
years ago when there was business in the town but
that trade has all but collapsed in border
counties." Mr Callaghan described a recent scenario
in which customers fled his store as a parking
attendant approached.
"Recently, the traffic warden issued five |
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parking tickets in a
row to cars parked in the car park at Park Lane,
causing panic among customers in our 02 store at the
time. We had three customers in the store but they
made a run for it, the store emptied in minutes and
the customers haven't been seen since."
Mr Callaghan has spoken to Buncrana town clerk
Seamus Canning demanding a more lenient approach to
the current parking regime.
"Buncrana is not Dublin city centre. It’s a small
town in Donegal that needs every bit of assistance
that's going.
"I'm not prepared to let this go otherwise we'll
have to reassess our Buncrana 02 store operation
which has recently been refitted at a cost of
€100,000 and move all our 02 business including our
head office to Carndonagh. This would mean a loss of
rates to Buncrana Town Council."
Mr Callaghan said urgent action now needed to be
taken by Council officials to "address the unease
among shoppers".
"We all have to work together for the betterment of
the town during these recessionary times to help
sustain employment and make business happen.
"We need the Council to become more
business-friendly and do everything in its power to
attract customers to the town instead of
discouraging them which is what’s happening at
present," he added. |
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