Free parking is confirmed for this Kildare town - despite opposition from the council and environmentalists

Parking will be free for two weeks over Christmas in car parks operated by Kildare County Council in Naas.

This is despite opposition from an environmental action group which came out strongly against the request to suspend pay parking by two councillors - Carmel Kelly (FF) and Evie Sammon (FG).

They asked KCC to suspend parking charges from Monday (December 15) Wednesday, December 31. The car parks are located at Abbey Street, New Row, Fairgreen and Hederman’s, off Friary Road.

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Cllr Kelly said, at a Naas Municipal District committee meeting, she was making the request in the absence of a “fully integrated transport system” in the greater Naas area. She said while the Local Link bus service is excellent, there is a need for a town and orbital bus service.

She said: “People and families need to be able to access a regular accessible public transport system that allows them to move for example from the Killashee Road to the Monread Road, the Dublin Road and Sallins and back home in a timely, regular, manner” and she did not think that free parking would add to vehicle emissions "because people will drive anyway.”

Cllr Kelly said the measure will support local businesses and it’s needed by the businesses in Naas. “Every euro spent locally supports Irish jobs, sustains the economy, and strengthens communities across the country.”

Cllr Evie Sammon noted that town centre businesses have to compete with out of town shopping centres with free parking and Cllr Bill Clear said “we want people to come to town to shop, it’s really important that people shop locally.”

But Cllr Fintan Brett criticised the move  saying it results in the “law of unintended consequences” because people will come into town, park overnight and only drive away on Saturday - once they don’t have to pay. He said free parking doesn’t work because all the spaces will be taken by people who leave their cars for longer than intended.

It was also opposed by Cllr Anne Breen who predicted that “you won’t be able to get into Hederman's, the biggest car park, because of the number of people parking for extended periods.

Kildare County council also opposed the move saying a key objective of regulating car parking is to ensure a turnover of parking spaces to enhance business and customer experiences. It also prevents all-day parking by commuting motorists who travel outside the county to work and “any suspension of regulated or pay parking would be counter-productive to these objectives and to the climate action plan as well as contravening the sustainability mobility policy.”

If it went ahead the public would be “sent a contradictory message that our commitments to national policy and climate action are applicable at times, except at Christmas.”

KCC official Mark McLoughlin said the council is strongly opposed to the move, partly because of a loss of revenue.

KCC engineer Dónal Hodgins said the council supports local businesses and the “ethos of the motion” but this would not  help businesses. He said someone would park for the two week period in one of the car parks and go Lanzarote for the period, saving more in parking charges than the cost of the flights.

He said there is no evidence that free parking helps businesses.

Naas Mayor Semie Moore, who supported the move, said it might be possible to ask the traffic wardens to “check cars that overstay.”

 Friends of the Irish Environment urged councillors not to support free parking because  “evidence from retail and mobility management shows that suspending pay parking will increase car use by encouraging short avoidable car trips that would otherwise be made by active or sustainable modes (walking or cycling).W

The group also said it would increase congestion and emissions and undermine Kildare County Council’s own climate action plan.

“Unpriced parking encourages long-stay commuters – many who take public transport out of town - and so reduces car-space turnover, making it harder for genuine shoppers to find a space. Free parking can harm local traders and town-centre vitality, ultimately leading to lost retail and council revenue,” the group contended.

It also pointed out that Parking fees form part of KCC’s income and support investment in transport and mobility services, “so waiving them conflicts with prudent financial management commitments (in KCC’s) the corporate plan 2025–2029.”

FIE said  successful town-centre economies depend on the turnover of parking spaces, short-stay parking priced fairly with effective enforcement as well as supportive measures such as high-quality public transport access, targeted promotions, improved walking access, and sustainable-mobility initiatives.