ELDERLY residents in Bantry are at risk of prosecution for parking on double yellow lines that were painted on the road outside their homes last week.

Maureen O’Sullivan contacted The Southern Star on behalf of four residents living at Glengarriff Road, whom she described as ‘stressed’ by the Council’s actions.

However, two residents – one of whom lives in nearby Marino Street – won their cases at a sitting of Bantry District Court on Wednesday morning.

Judge James McNulty dismissed the cases against the residents, who were accused of exceeding a two-hour parking time limit, saying the Council will have to come up with a solution to the emerging situation. According to Maureen, the yellow lines appeared ‘without notice’ early last Friday morning and despite an acknowledgement she said she has not received a full or formal reply to the email she sent to Cork County Council.

The 65 year old said she is currently exploiting a loophole by parking in an area that the workers missed, because there was a car parked there when the painting was being done.

In a stinging rebuke, Maureen pointed out that Bantry is one of eight designated Age Friendly Towns in Cork county and she called on the Council to remove the yellow lines.

For personal, medical and practical reasons, she argued that the elderly residents in Glengarriff Road should be granted parking permits.

When it was put to her that parking permits cannot be issued unless there is a pay-parking system in operation in the town, she called for a change of the by-laws.

‘If Cork Council is serious about the national policy of living in town centres,’ she added, ‘their first strategy should be to retain the few remaining residents.

‘These long-term, mostly elderly, residents have lived in the town centre before there was any need for parking restrictions and have used parking close to their residences for decades,’ she said.

In fact, she claimed, one couple – a man in his early 80s and a woman in her late 70s – have been parking in the same place overnight for the last 48 years.

She said the residents are now faced with having to walk more than 100 metres in search of free parking, or risk getting parking tickets in the two-hour zones.

Maureen described the mood locally as being ‘very angry.’  

She said that ‘the mindset of the Council appears to be that the town centre is a place to visit and not a place for people to live.’

She pointed out that about 40 car parking spaces in the town have been ‘permanently and physically ring-fenced for outdoor dining within the town, even though it is unlikely that these spaces will be utilised outside of the main holiday season.

‘There has to be a balance between the commercial and residential life of the town,’ she said.

A spokesperson for Cork County Council said the double yellow lines placed on Glengarriff Rd are part of various works for a much-needed pavement strengthening and improvement scheme in the area. 

‘These works, including the extent of the double yellow lines placed, are,’ he added, ‘subject to a final inspection and review by Cork County Council staff in consultation with all relevant stakeholders.’