Call for free parking in Macroom for electric cars

FREE parking for electric cars in Macroom would encourage motorists to make the switch and help to cut back carbon emissions, according to a local councillor.

At a recent Macroom/Blarney Municipal District meeting Cllr Gobnait Moynihan (FF) proposed that free parking  for e-cars in Macroom be added to the new car parking control by-laws.

‘The Government last year set an ambitious goal as part of the National Development Plan to see 500,000 electric cars on the road by 2030. I just feel if we want to get serious about cutting back on our carbon footprint and lowering our carbon emissions, then this is a perfect way for Cork County Council to encourage people to do so,’ said Cllr Moynihan.

‘Free parking for electric cars in Macroom would encourage people to go electric and Macroom could be leading the way in cutting back carbon emissions.’

Changes to Macroom’s parking control by-laws were discussed at the monthly meeting.

Extending the paid parking zones to include row downs by Fitz’geralds Funeral Home as well as on Chapel Hill were passed by councillors at the meeting. However, a call to extend the paid parking times to 9am was opposed and as a result was not passed.

Meanwhile, Cllr Moynihan has welcomed the Macroom Mural Project, which will see two more murals on walls in the town over the coming months giving a total of three in the town.

‘I imagine the addition of the two murals will enhance the town of Macroom a lot. We already have one mural by the same artists down on Cork Street and it’s a very attractive feature to the town,’ said Cllr Moynihan.

‘People have been telling me how much they enjoyed passing through Macroom each day, watching the art work develop and were looking forward to seeing the end result. I think these two murals will draw the same amount of attention.’

The Macroom Mural Project concerns two properties in the town, namely  at New Street and on the right hand entrance to the town park. The subject matter for New Street is Macroom Castle, which is a dominant feature of the community’s history, while the second mural centres around the Macroom Hooded Cloak, which was worn by women in the 19th Century.

The existing mural of the last goods train leaving Macroom station in 1953 which adorns the gable end of a house on the corner of Cork St and St Colman’s Park was completed by Cormac Sheil and Denis O’Reardon and is a colourful attraction to the town.

The project is funded by Cork Municipal Districts Creative Communities Scheme, through Cork County Council and partnered with Macroom Enterprise Board and Macroom Tidy Towns.

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