“I find it hard to stomach that if we had gone to RingGo a few weeks ago we could have had things sorted, we should know the terms and conditions, they are our car parks.”
Car parking “confusion” in Newry could be set to catch motorists out of pocket amid concerns raised that “free parking should not just be for Christmas”.
Newry, Mourne and Down District Council this week approved free parking on the three Saturdays in the run up to Christmas Day.
However, the short notice of the festive retail incentive meaning parking Apps and ticket machines will still take payments has been criticised with concerns “parking in Newry is a shambles”.
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Slieve Gullion SDLP councillor Pete Byrne said:”I have real concern about a parking issue that has been sitting on the council agenda for well over a year.
“It went through the car parking working group and has been stalled effectively and now we will try to get the communication out to people in December, that the next three Saturday’s parking is free, it is a huge task.
“However, it shouldn’t just be a gift for Christmas and then taking it back again in January.
“Parking in Newry is an absolute shambles. You have the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) with the ‘JustPark’ App and the council with the ‘RingGo’ App for parking and they operate differently. So, there is confusion between the two Apps.
“We want people coming in to support businesses throughout the year.”
Council run car parks in Newry and Downpatrick will now be free to use on Saturdays before Christmas.
However, the timeframe of the chamber decision means motorists could fall foul of council parking Apps and ticket machines, which will still take cash and remain operational, despite no need to pay.
DfI has also announced an hour’s grace period of on-street parking spaces being trialled in Lisburn and Newry over the festive season and running until 10 January 2026.
This means people will have up to one hour to return to their cars following the expiry of their paid parking without fear of receiving a penalty.
Cllr Byrne added: “The DfI App has changed in the last number of weeks and people used to be able to start and stop the App for the parking period.
“Now, you have to select the time you will be parking for which increases massively the likelihood of getting a penalty charge notice.
“As for the council App, I think it is really important that we know how to change the terms and conditions for lowering charging costs with the company that operates it.
“I would like an income report of our car parks to come back to the council.
“We have the ability to make the decision and I would request that we are better informed as to how we do that.
“Why are we not promoting free parking every Saturday of the year?
“I was in Banbridge last week and it is absolutely thriving due to free parking.
“I find it hard to stomach that if we had gone to RingGo a few weeks ago we could have had things sorted, we should know the terms and conditions, they are our car parks.”
CEO Marie Ward responded: “In terms of RingGo, if we want to amend our App we would need to have notified them about three to four weeks in advance.
“In terms of revenue the comparative income from the three Saturdays last year is somewhere in the region of about £10k.
“Just to be clear, the three Saturdays free parking can be implemented through signage and advertising.
“However, the machines will still be running and the App will still be running as we can’t get them amended in time.
“One of the challenges we face in our car parks at the moment, is that our machines (tickets) are older machines so we are due next year to have them upgraded to make it easier for changing terms.
“We can bring a paper back to the council on all matters.”
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