Carrigaline’s parking spaces make way for amenity areas

Riverside parking spaces in Carrigaline have been turned into an amenity area complete with outdoor seating.

It’s part of the County Council’s Project ACT (Activating County Towns), through which the community in Carrigaline identified a number of key areas within the town where additional outdoor seating and amenity space could be provided to meet the demand for quality recreation and amenity space. 

The Council responded with the Carrigaline Community ‘Parklet’ as a way of providing a novel amenity space in the heart of a bustling town centre.

Maura Allen, chair of Carrigaline Tidy Towns, said they were delighted with the area: ‘The Parklet is ideally located in a riverside setting to provide a focal point for the town, which Tidy Towns volunteers work tirelessly to make beautiful. I would like to thank Cork County Council for this investment in our public space, making it an attractive place for locals and visitors alike.’

Meanwhile, Cork county mayor Mary Linehan Foley visited Carrigaline to raise awareness of how illegal and obstructive parking impacts wheelchair users, older people and people with visual impairments.

Cork County Council, with An Garda Síochána and Cork County Older People’s Council, is appealing to motorists to respect accessible and age friendly parking spaces and is asking people not to park on curbs, double yellow lines or at hatched or lined areas.

The mayor welcomed the ‘staycation’ trend this year noting that holidaying at home supports our local businesses, accommodation providers, beaches and tourist attractions. However, she urged motorists to think about where they park:

Léan Kennedy, advocacy and policy officer at Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind added: ‘We welcome this initiative and we ask drivers to park on the street, not on the kerb or pavement. Drivers may not know the danger blind or vision impaired people are put in when the pavement is obstructed by cars. It impedes their safety and mobility, forcing them onto the street amidst traffic which they cannot see.’ 

Kenneth Walsh, guide dog owner, said that when drivers park on the kerb it is very difficult for his guide dog Marley to guide him around the car and back on to the footpath, putting Marley under stress.