By Ciaran O’Neill
coneill@derrynews.net

ANGRY traders have said it’s time to ‘cut the crap’ and address Derry’s city centre parking problems.
Around 50 local business people gathered at the Tower Hotel this week for a meeting to discuss ways to help independent traders in Derry survive and prosper in the city.
It emerged at Tuesday’s meeting that Derry City Council is making £50,000 available to fund a business support training programme for local companies, and is also co-ordinating a project to improve the look of streets in the city centre.
A number of other issues were also discussed at the meeting.
However, speaking from the floor, several business people highlighted the importance of sorting out parking problems in the city centre.
One man said he had been coming to similar type meetings for more than 20 years, and that the lack of adequate parking was always one of the top issues.
“It’s time to cut the crap. There is too much red tape but something needs to be done now,” he said.
A business woman welcomed the new council funding but, again, said that parking had to be the key priority.
“Any money being invested in the city centre is fantastic but if there is no flow of people in the city centre then it doesn’t matter.”
City Centre Initiative Manager Jim Roddy, who chaired this week’s meeting, said he understood the traders’ frustration, adding that the lack of parking was the biggest complaint he heard from business people on a daily basis.
Mr Roddy said traders and their representatives had been ‘fobbed off’ in the past by civil servants on the issue of parking.
However, he said it was important that the situation was taken directly to the Minister of Regional Development Conor Murphy in the hope of getting a positive solution.
Mr Roddy highlighted Shipquay Street as an example of where practical steps could be taken straight away in a bid to ease the traffic problems.
“They are taking about bringing in parking meters to Shipquay Street in two years time. Why not put parking bays in there in the meantime?” said the CCI Manager.
It was agreed that efforts would be made to set up a meeting with relevant Stormont ministers to discuss the problems facing the city centre.