There has been a sharp rise in the number of parking fines issued in the Letterkenny area in 2024.
An average of 313 tickets are tucked under windscreen wipers in the town each month.
That’s 48% more than the monthly average of 210 in 2023.
The hotspots for fines were revealed by the council roads department this week, with the Court House Car Park being the worst with an average of 45 tickets per month since January this year.
The Justice Walsh Car Park, the Ramelton Road, and the Station Car Park also recorded high figures in the first four months of 2024.
Parking fines in Donegal range from €40 to €150 for illegal parking in a disabled parking bay. If not paid in 28 days, the amounts are increased by 50%.
In February, councillors of the Letterkenny Municipal District expressed concern about awareness of digital payment options for parking in local towns.
One in five parking payments in Donegal are made through the eParking app. There are currently 27,013 registered customers using the app, while the Council intends to promote this further.
Cllr Jimmy Kavanagh told February’s meeting of the Letterkenny-Milford MD that many people still do not know the app exists. He said that members of the public are calling for more credit card terminals and digital options to avoid the inconvenience of getting tickets from a machine, particularly when they do not have cash or during bad weather.
Cllr McMonagle said that the lack of awareness has made some motorists take the risk in a pinch: “A lot of people don’t have coins anymore and they take the chance and do their business and hope the traffic warden hasn’t been around.”
Cllr Gerry McMonagle called for more signage to highlight the availability of the app.
The Donegal eParking App is available to download for free via Apple Store and Google Play. More details are available on https://bookings.parkmagic.net/donegal
