Change in by-laws needed for disability parking on this Kildare street

Calls for the implementation of a disability parking bay on Mill Street, Maynooth, Co Kildare have been temporarily put on hold, pending review of the Maynooth Parking By-Laws.

Cllr Angela Feeney (LAB) tabled her motion - “That the council installs a disability parking bay on Mill Street, Maynooth” - at this month's Clane-Maynooth Municipal District meeting.

Cllr Feeney – a member of Maynooth Access Group and County Kildare Access Network - told the council that last year she had called for a disability parking bay on Fagan's Lane, Maynooth, and that this motion was requesting the same for Mill Street, Maynooth.

She said there were many people who were trying to access the church on Mill Street “for mass and funerals” and it was a “long stretch” of road on Mill Street that was currently without a disability parking bay.

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She suggested that this could be considered as part of an overall review of Mill Street, or if a timeline could be given as to when a disability parking bay could be implemented there.

“There are a lot of people who come to me with blue badges who say, look, I can't get near the church”, she said, calling for a solution to the problem.

Supporting the motion, and acknowledging that the parking by-laws are not being reviewed currently, Cllr Donna Phelan (FF) asked if a review could be carried out on the taxi rank at a location on Mill Street.

Cllr Phelan said that this taxi rank is frequently used for parking by members of the public and by delivery drivers, and a review would determine whether it was “fit for purpose” or could be utilised for disability parking.

The misuse of the taxi rank is “very evident”, she said, and might better be used to serve people with disabilities.

A council official, responding to councillors stated that a parking by-law would in fact be required to change the road markings in this area.

A report issued by Kildare County Council stated: “This can be considered under the review of the Maynooth Parking bye-laws as parking bye-laws cannot be amended in part, it must take place under a full review as required by law.”