Donegal County Council says it has come to a compromise with motorbike users following the pedestrianisation of Donegal Town Diamond.
In recent weeks there has been debate in regard to motorbikes parking on Donegal Diamond following the recent refurbishment, particularly at weekends.
A meeting between elected members from Donegal Municipal District, Council Executives and representatives from the motorbike community took place on Monday 29th July in Donegal Town Public Services Centre with the aim of having an open discussion around vehicular access on the Diamond and finding a compromise to suit everyone.
The Diamond provides a space where both the local community and visitors can enjoy meeting together in the town in a safe and welcoming environment accessible for all.
By designating the Diamond a pedestrian area, it is not about excluding anyone, it is about ensuring the Diamond is an inclusive place for all users to congregate safely.
Donegal Town Diamond has been designated a pedestrian area in the interests of health and safety and to ensure that the space is free from any damage and kept clean.
The Council has asked for cooperation from all users of the Diamond in relation to ensuring the space is designated for pedestrian users and is free from vehicles, so as to ensure the following:
- The Diamond is a safe and welcoming space where community events can be held all year round.
- Avoid cracks to paving due to vehicles parking on the Diamond.
- Avoid the potential of pedestrians tripping and falling on the cracked paving.
- Avoid public money being spent on trip and fall claims that could easily be avoided if the paving was not damaged.
- Negate the Health & Safety issues associated with vehicles interacting with pedestrians in a designated public realm space, e.g.
- Vehicles moving around in a designated pedestrian area.
- Potential for kids touching hot exhausts.
- Potential for kids climbing on bikes and bikes falling over.
- To encourage a free flow of pedestrian users especially those with mobility impairments.
- To ensure everyone can enjoy the Diamond, avoid other users feeling uncomfortable or intimidated when they see motorbikes on the Diamond.
- Avoid oil from vehicles staining the new paving.
- Avoid tyre tracks on the new paving.
- Avoid damage to kerbs due to vehicles mounting them.
- Avoid street furniture being hit and damaged by vehicles.
- Ensuring that access through the public realm space is not being impeded by vehicles.
The Council has received feedback from users of the Diamond who agree that the space should be pedestrianised to ensure everyone can enjoy the new space in a safe manner.
Everyone is welcome on the Diamond including bikers, but for reasons outlined above and at the meeting, it is important that vehicles are not parked on the Diamond.
The goal is to be fair to everyone, parking of any vehicle is prohibited on the Diamond, that includes cars, quads and any other vehicle in addition to motorbikes. If tickets are being issued to vehicles parked on footways elsewhere in the town, the same rule must apply to the Diamond, which is also a pedestrian footway.
By way of a compromise, the Council will designate the area to the rear of the Bank of Ireland as a parking zone for motorbikes only on Sundays free of charge.
The Council says it continues to appeal to the motorbike community to use this designated parking area only 55m from the Diamond to park their motorbikes safely and walk to the Diamond to enjoy the space along with all other users. New signage will be erected to highlight this to other motorists.
Legislation under the Road Traffic & Parking Regulations, 1997 under Section 36 – prohibitions on parking states that “a vehicle shall not be parked on a public road at a location, in a manner or for a purpose referred to in this article (5); on a footway, a grass margin or a median strip”. Parking any vehicles on public footways such as the Diamond is subject to a fine of €80.00 and a parking ticket can be issued by the traffic warden or the Gardai.
This refurbishment of Donegal Town Diamond has been funded under the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media’s Outdoor Public Space Scheme along with co-funding from Donegal County Council.
