Green Party Welcomes More Space For Pedestrians In Kerry Towns

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Cleo Murphy of Green Party.

PLANS to create more space for pedestrians in town centres in Kerry are being welcomed by the Kerry branch of the Green Party.

The ‘Safe and Welcoming Streets’ adopted by Kerry County Council will result in removing parking spaces from busy streets with narrow footpaths and enhancing public areas with outdoor furniture.

Parking spaces in Killarney will reduce by 58, Listowel by 50, Kenmare will lose up to 25 spaces and Tralee and Dingle will lose out on up to five spaces each.

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“This will give more space to pedestrians to social distance for public health reasons,” says Cleo Murphy of the Kerry Greens. “But it will also have the effect of making places like Strand Street in Dingle, the Square in Listowel or Henry Street in Kenmare more attractive.”

“We are in favour of making our town centres more accessible to walkers and cyclists so the removal of cars, even on temporary basis, is welcome news. More space is good for elderly people, wheelchair users and parents of young children. Tourists will feel safer visiting and will see the lovely character of the streets. No-one takes photographs of a parked cars.”

Castleisland is planning to put up awnings and canopies, while in Killarney footpaths will be widened and in Tralee more space is being allocated to street furniture for cafes. 50 car parking spaces are being removed in Listowel.

“It all helps to make our town centres more pleasant,” says Ms. Murphy. “But it also points to the need for off-street parking and, in the long run, more frequent Local Link services to bring people into town without resorting to the car.

“It is important that spaces for disabled drivers and loading bays for commercial deliveries are retained, but this plan gives us a chance to see what less car-centric towns will look like. We might find that we like walking through our streets instead of always driving to the doorstep.”