Judge in Nenagh urges council 'to a find solution' to parking problems in Roscrea

Three members of the one family have had cases against them for parking outside their own homes struck out at Nenagh District Court. 

Riona Graham, Alan Graham of Church View, Roscrea and Neil Heffernan of Abbey Street, Roscrea, all challenged the summons for parking on a double yellow line on Abbey Street, Parkmore, Roscrea on December 20, 2023. 

Judge Adrian Harris struck out the matter because there was “inadequate” parking in the area around the family’s homes. 

The judge asked that the message go out to the council to find a solution to the matter. 

“I urge the county council to find a solution that meets the residents’ requirements. It is very important in terms of road safety,” said Judge Harris. 

ABBEY STREET

Garda Anastasia Murphy told the court that on the date of the offence, she was on patrol in Roscrea, and traffic had come to a standstill on Abbey Street because of parking on both sides of the narrow road. 

She issued fixed penalty notices to the owners of the parked cars, but those went unpaid.

HOME

Riona Graham told the court that she, her husband and father were all in court for the same offence and that they were parked outside their own homes. 

She said her father had lived in his house since he was born in 1942 and had been parking outside since he could drive. 

She said she and her husband had four children and had renovated a derelict house on the street to be close to her elderly parents. 

Ms Graham and her family had just moved into the house when they received the fixed penalty notices. 

She said she was aware that parking was “inadequate” in the area, and they had been in contact with the council and two councillors to no avail. 

Judge Adrian Harris asked what the council’s reply had been, and Ms Graham said that they were waiting for an engineer to assess the situation. 

Usually, she said she would park outside the house and move the car to Rosemary Square later when there is less demand for parking in the town.

On this occasion, she had not yet done so. 

In the case of Alan Graham, he had parked his van outside, like his wife, intending to move it later.

“I do abide by the rules of the road, but unfortunately, parking is inadequate in the area,” said Ms Graham. 

In addition to a lack of spaces, Ms Graham told the court that a nearby bus stop takes up parking spaces, sometimes for days on end. 

The road is very busy, and at night, there is an issue with speeding.

This means parking outside her home is the safest option when travelling with her four children. 

“It is a very busy road. Cars fly up and down, and ironically, it is worse at night. Again, this is something we have mentioned to the council,” said Ms Graham. 

BOTTLENECK

Garda Murphy told the court that it is the parking on both sides that creates a “bottleneck” and makes the road dangerous. 

She said cars had to move out of the way to allow others through.

“It was very dangerous,” said Garda Murphy. She said parking further down the street would be safer. 

Ms Graham responded that is not always an option and has been an issue for all residents. 

“It’s an issue for all our neighbours, not just me, and it’s very frustrating for all of the residents, said Ms Graham.  

She said she will continue to walk her children from two or three streets away but is concerned about her elderly parents. 

Neil Heffernan said he had been parking in front of his house for years, and this was the first time he had received a fine. 

He told the court that the speed in the area makes it unsafe for pedestrians. 

“There is no such thing as age-friendly at the council or with the guards,” said Mr Heffernan.

Judge Harris said the law applied to everyone equally but that he was inclined to strike the case out.

STRUCK OUT

Judge Harris struck out all three cases.

He said in these cases, people usually park illegally out of convenience, but given the “dearth of parking” in the defendants’ area, he was inclined to strike out the matters if all three agreed to use the allotted parking in future.