Urgent meeting to take place over ‘punitive’ parking fines

AN urgent meeting has been scheduled to address what local traders and councillors are calling ‘punitive’ parking enforcement in Omagh’s town centre, which they claim is forcing shoppers away and damaging local business.

Organised by the local authority, the meeting will bring together council representatives, business owners, and officials from the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) in an attempt to find a resolution.

Omagh councillors have condemned the frequency of fines issued in the town centre, arguing that the strict enforcement disproportionately impacts specific areas, especially John Street.

Local business owners have also voiced frustration.

Shane McGale, of McGale’s Furniture on John Street, said he can understand why shoppers were reluctant to come into the town for fear of incurring a £45 fine.

“People are good enough to come into Omagh to spend money, and then they receive a fine. You can’t blame them for being reluctant to come into the town and being worried and stressed about getting a fine,” he said.

“Traders don’t want to see shoppers being fined.

“But we haven’t been consulted on the parking restrictions here on John Street. The problem is that 90 per-cent of the traffic is going towards the Dromore Road, and that is where the issues need to be resolved.

The parking issue was discussed at a meeting of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council on Tuesday night.

It comes as traders locally continue to express their anger that the restrictions are ‘driving’ shoppers away from the centre of Omagh coming up to the busiest period of the year.

Omagh town councillor, Barry McElduff, said that there were a number of hotspots where a ‘disproportionate number of fines’ being issued which were driving people away from the town.

“It is really, really bad, the amount of fines which are being handed out. It’s coming across as punitive and is having a disabling impact on businesses,” he added.

Cllr McElduff urged the DfI to review Omagh’s Urban Clearway and implement changes that ease restrictions without further hindering trade. Cllr Errol Thompson supported a review of John Street’s regulations, added that parking issues had long plagued the area.

Independent councillor Josephine Deehan highlighted the public’s perception of the enforcement as ‘harassment’, with reports of parking wardens ‘circling’ parked vehicles to issue tickets as soon as time limits expire.

“The Department’s response to our concerns has been unsympathetic,” Cllr Deehan said.

“It’s vital that we, as a council, support our local businesses.”