Wardens proving just the ticket in Navan

More people are coming into Navan town centre with turnover of traffic parked in the town doubling since the introduction of the new privately operated warden service.

Ninety per cent of motorists in Navan  have been complying with parking bye-laws since the introduction of the new private service last February.
This compares with a  compliance rate of 35 per cent prior to the new system.
Councillors were briefed on the results of a survey undertaken by Meath County Council in relation to parking in the town at last week's Municipal District Council meeting..
Director of Services Kevin Stewart said “the findings of the survey show that the scheme is working well.”
The average number of fines issued per warden over a 16 day period in February fell from 185 to 118 and the average daily fines issued per warden has fallen by five. “This is clear evidence that motorists are getting used to the system,” Mr Stewart said.
The meeting also heard that a new text alert service will be implemented in May which will allow members of the public to report illegal parking in disabled spaces by texting a number which will be displayed on a near-by sign.
The warden will pick up this message immediately and will be able to inspect the complaint within five minutes.
Smart meters will be installed at the Kennedy Plaza car park and Bedford Place in April on a three month pilot basis which will allow motorists make cashless payments using debit and credit cards as well as a swipe and go payment.
Long stay permits will be introduced in June and July which not only will entice long stay parking out of the town centre but will offer substantial savings for people who need to park for extended periods of time in Navan.
A parking tag system will also be implemented which will allow drivers to make a cashless mobile payment by text message using an app.
Cllr Tommy Reilly asked was a grace period being given and was told it was unofficial but it was around ten minutes.
Cllr Reilly called on the council to purchase the Forresters Car Park on Brews Hill, because it was used by a lot of people who will not use multi storey carparks.
Cllr Padraig Fitzsimons remarked that people can now get parking in Kennedy Place, where it has been chaos in the past.
The Mayor of Navan, Cllr Frances Deane, called on the council to introduce a mid-week pilot scheme, offering one hour free for each one hour paid parking, in an effort to promote an increase in footfall and shopping in Navan.
He was told that the recent survey showed that the introduction of incentives for longer stays would reduce the availability of parking in the town centre, which in turn
could affect the numbers of potential customers visiting the town centre.