S
INN Féin Councillor Mickey Cooper has urged students and commuters to avoid parking in residential areas around the Magee campus as the new university term looms.
He said that residents constantly endure issues with blocked driveways and footpaths leading to constant fears that emergency services will not be able to access the area in an emergency:
Said Cllr Cooper: “There are long standing issues around commuter parking and the high volume of traffic travelling through the area and the subsequent inconvenience this is creating for residents, pedestrians and motorists.
“So, it’s vital that there is a renewed focus on deterring illegal parking in the Aberfoyle and Northlands area as the new term in the University is about to begin.
“The locality has a significant number of older people who have particular mobility and access needs and unregulated parking in the area is creating hardship for many of these people.
“We have had a number of cases in the past when emergency vehicles have been unable to access Aberfoyle Crescent because of the volume of cars parked there.
“This is intolerable.
“Over the past few years I have worked with the local residents, the Redcoats and PSNI to put a reporting system in place which allows residents to report illegal parking leading to enforcement against the vehicle owners.
“This system remains in place but hopefully student and commuter motorists will heed the call to avoid parking in the area to remove the need for enforcement to take place.”
