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Traffic wardens to tackle New Road motorists

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By Sean Moriarty

Traffic wardens are to take a more ‘on the ground’ approach to illegal parking and other traffic-related issues at a notorious traffic blackspot in the town.

The warning follows an online meeting on Wednesday between Killarney Gardai, Killarney Municipal District engineers and school principals in an effort to solve the ongoing illegal parking and traffic management issues on New Road at school times.

The street provides access to three secondary schools, two primary schools and one special needs facility - bringing an estimated 2,800 users to the area on a daily basis.

The street is also home to the Killarney offices of the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Killarney Garda Station and several private houses.

TRAFFIC PROBLEMS

Mayor of Killarney Brendan Cronin attended Wednesday’s online meeting to represent all of the elected members of KMD.

Traffic has been a problem in the area for years and even measures like imposing a temporary one-way system during school pick-up and drop-off times have not solved the issues.

“It was reported at the meeting that on one day alone, 40 cars disrespected the one-way system,” he told the Killarney Advertiser. “Anyone on the road will tell you it just takes one car to mess the place up.”

The situation has worsened in recent weeks; reduced capacity on school buses due to COVID-19 restrictions means there are now more school buses using the street and a marked increase in parents dropping children off as they cannot get spaces on school transport.

Problems include cars parking on footpaths forcing pedestrians out on to the street and cars parking in the designated bus drop-off zone, forcing buses to double park. Traffic wardens will target these two offences with immediate effect.

OUTCOME
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“One outcome of the meeting is that the executive will change the daily rota of the parking wardens so they can monitor this area,” added Mr Cronin. “Some people have a total disregard and they have to be dealt with.”

Killarney Municipal District engineer John Ahern also attended the online meeting. He will undertake a detailed assessment of the area and will report back to each of the schools.

He will examine several aspects, including school opening and closing times and the better use of nearby car parks like the under-used facility on Rock Road.

“This is by no means a simple task, there are so many stakeholders,” added Mr Cronin. “It was a very constructive meeting, we have defined targets and we will get this done.”

Although representatives of Bus Éireann have attended meetings in the past they did not attend Wednesday's meeting.

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Contactless payments launched on Local Link services

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Passengers using TFI Local Link Kerry services in Killarney and across the county can now pay for their journeys using contactless card payments.

The National Transport Authority (NTA) confirmed the rollout this week, allowing commuters to simply tap their debit card, credit card, or mobile devices, such as Apple Pay and Google Pa, when boarding.

The move is designed to offer more convenience for those using high-frequency rural and regional routes.

In Killarney, the new payment option will be available on the TFI Anseo town services, which have seen a significant increase in passenger numbers since their introduction.

The contactless system is currently available for single journey fares, while those using daily or weekly passes can continue to use the Leap website or the TFI Leap Top Up App.
Alan O’Connell, General Manager of TFI Local Link Kerry, welcomed the modernisation of the fleet.

“The introduction of contactless payments is another welcome step forward for public transport in Kerry,” he said. “It complements other major projects in the county, including the expansion of TFI Local Link services and the delivery of TFI Anseo in Killarney, which is proving to be another great initiative.”

While the new technology offers a modern alternative, traditional payment methods are not being phased out. Cash payments, TFI Leap cards, and Free Travel Cards all remains fully valid across the network.

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How will our Kerry TDs vote tomorrow?

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Tomorrow, Sinn Féin will be tabling a motion of no confidence against the Government after the protests that took place nationwide during the week.

Earlier today we asked our readers how would they vote in a no confidence motion against the Government?

Most of our readers said they would vote no confidence, while some said, yes they do have confidence in the Government.

One reader said: “Vote confidence. The only proper leadership over the last few days came from government. Courage came when needed despite how unpopular it looked in the moment. By contrast, opposition politicians wanted the country to burn to suit themselves”.

Another reader stated: “No confidence. Shambolic and heavy handed handling of protests this past week”.

However, some people didn’t have any confidence in either side with a reader saying: “No confidence in the no confidence! Different wings of the same bird! We need a complete overhaul of the political system”.

We asked the question to our 5 Kerry TDs before lunch-time today, asking them what their vote will be tomorrow.

We received one reply from Sinn Féin’s Kerry TD Pa Daly.

He will be voting no confidence in the Government tomorrow along with his party.

Other media outlets are reporting that Independent TD Danny Healy-Rae is undecided at the moment.

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