A refurbishment of Mullingar town centre to end traffic congestion and make it more pedestrian-friendly is on the cards, according to Westmeath County Council.
The council is concerned that car-parking charges for traders and employees at £10 per year are unsustainable and using up 392 of the 439 spaces available in the local authority car-parks in the town centre.
The council wants to increase permit charges to £150 per year, a dramatic 1,500 per cent increase, as well as raising the cost of parking on the streets or in council-owned car-parks.
Other measures include the resumption of local bus services, park-and-ride facilities, the revamping of streetscapes to make them more pedestrian-friendly, additional cycleways, and extending pedestrian phases on traffic lights.
It is hoped to pedestrianise certain streets after the completion of the eastern bypass of the town on the N52.
According to Mr Ray Kenny of Westmeath County Council the current employees' charges have not been increased since 1988.
In addition to making the town more pedestrian friendly, Mr Kenny wants to increase the availability of parking spaces in the town, optimise the use of existing parking spaces, and encourage private sector investment in car-parks.
Mr Kenny says that since last November the council has provided 109 additional parking spaces at a cost of £140,000, excluding land acquisition costs, and is developing another beside County Buildings which will have 104 car-parking spaces. The council is currently in negotiations with a developer for 254 spaces in the form of a multi-storey car-park at a site at Blackhall.
Upgrading of existing carparks is also under way.