Galway Bay fm newsroom - A proposal is to be sent to Irish Rail and a car park operator to extend free parking for a trial period at Athenry train station in a bid to alleviate growing capacity issues at Oranmore train station.
It comes as the local authority is facing increasing calls to address illegal parking on kerbs and footpaths at the Oranmore car park.
At a meeting of Athenry/Oranmore Municipal District, councillor Shelley-Herterich Quinn said people are leaving Athenry to go to Oranmore to avail of the free parking at the station.
She raised a motion calling on officials to write to Irish Rail and Apcoa, who manage the Athenry car park, asking them to consider extending free parking for a trial period to encourage better use of the station and ease the capacity issues in Oranmore.
It comes following a period of free parking at the Athenry station to facilitate Christmas shoppers.
Fine Gael councillor Liam Carroll cautioned against the proposal and argued that it doesn’t make economic sense for people to drive from Athenry to Oranmore for the sake of free parking.
A council official stated the local authority paid for the carpark in Oranmore and a huge revenue stream would have to be replaced if paid parking is not introduced there as planned.
Councillor Herterich Quinn argued the proposal is cost neutral for the local authority and would only work on a trial basis to see if there is any impact in Oranmore.
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