Apparently asking people to pay twice for their water isn’t enough for Conor Murphy; he’s now asking residents of inner city communities in Belfast to pay for the privilege of parking near to their homes!

The scheme, which is supposed to deal with commuter parking in these areas, would see annual charges of £80 for those living in the effected areas if they want to park there.

The scheme will not guarantee residents a parking space outside their house, and they will have to pay an extra £12.50 for a maximum of 25 passes for visitors every three months! The running of the scheme is to be handed to a multinational company, interested only in profit, and a proposed review of the charges two years after introduction would surely make it even more profitable, as experience shows they will be revised upwards.

 Fortunately, these proposals can be easily defeated. For them to be implemented, two-thirds of residents must respond in a consultation, and at least 50% must be in favour. Residents of the areas where the scheme is to be piloted have already shown their opposition through joint protests in Donegall Pass and the Markets area, and large meetings elsewhere.

However, the serious problem of congestion in these areas, with commuters’ cars sometimes blocking access by bin lorries and emergency services, will still remain. A massive investment into providing cheap car parking facilities and, more crucially, drastically improving public transport is needed immediately to encourage commuters not to park in these areas, and to decrease the amount of traffic coming into the city centre in the first place.