No free parking and overcharging some of the issues raised about Waterford council app
Since the district council meeting, Cllr Kate O'Mahoney has received an update which sheds some light on the parking app situation.
No free parking, overcharging and crashing were some of the issues raised about the Waterford City and County Council parking app.
Councillors Damien Geoghegan and Kate O’Mahoney told the March sitting of the Dungarvan-Lismore District Council that they are receiving “numerous complaints” from the public.
Cllr Geoghegan, who first raised the issue, said that councillors agree on parking charges and the app does not always charge drivers the correct amount.
He said there hasn’t been any increase to parking charges in 12 or 14 years, and the free 30-minute slots are not always showing on the app.
“So I’m asking that the parking app be sorted and be fit for purpose so that people log on, pay for their parking. What they pay reflects what we have agreed as councillors, said Cllr Geoghegan.
The councillor asked that the app be checked and, if there are wider issues, that it be withdrawn until it is repaired.
He said he is getting complaints from people who like the app and use it regularly, so it needs to be sorted “once and for all.” Cllr O’Mahoney said she wanted to support Cllr Geoghegan’s call, as she too is receiving complaints.
“I would agree with Cllr Geoghegan. I had one lady come to me last week. She was inside in work and the app was overcharging her; she didn’t know what was going on, crashing on her as well, said Cllr O’Mahoney.
Senior Roads Engineer Sean Gormly said he wasn’t aware of issues with the app but that he would look into it.
Following the meeting, Cllr O’Mahoney posted an update on social media.
She said the council have told her that the free parking- 90 minutes in Scanlon’s and Causeway car parks, 30 minutes on-street, has been temporarily removed from the app.
This is because the bye-laws only allow one free parking session per vehicle per day and the app cannot enforce the rule.
As this is not an issue with the parking metres, drivers are asked to use the machines for the free parking and the app if they need an extension.
In the meantime, the council are working on resolving the issue on the app.
