Clonsilla Station - Portersgate Parking Scheme Shelved As Cash Runs Out

The long awaited parking scheme for Clonsilla Station and Portersgate Estate has been shelved by the council citing lack of funds. This is a huge let down for the local residents association, and all of us who have campaigned to regularise commuter parking in the area. The council have already paid consultants a fortune examining and designing the scheme. Now it looks like it will never be done.

I was Chairman of the Portersgate Residents Association in 2002 when we first requested a Pay & Display System similar to the one planned for Malahide that year. Since then schemes have been introduced in Skerries in 2005, in Balbriggan and Swords in 2006, and in Rush in 2008.

In my October Newsletter I reported that the scheme was to go to tender by the end of 2008 but warned that “cutbacks in expenditure could significantly delay the project”. I had hoped that this might motivate local councillors to ensure the project go ahead but alas not so. Some councillors objected to the scheme from the outset. Others obviously have priorities in their own areas. No doubt we will hear lots of promises in the coming months as we did in 2004. Since then councillors have approved over €2 billion in spending. In January they adopted a €270m budget for 2009, up 4.8% on last year. This project would only represent 0.2% of that. http://www.csea.ie/traffic-management-schemes