Bradley Bytes – A sort of political column by Dara Bradley

The big controversial issue in Galway City this year, for residents, businesses and visitors, was parking.

And parking looks set to dominate local politics again in 2026, as Galway City Council struggles to contain a problem of its own making.

A city like Galway cannot function without parking; and the parking system cannot operate unless people have faith in it.

Trust in that system – and the reputation of Galway City Council and the city itself – took a battering, due to the pay-parking debacle that has yet to be resolved.

The fiasco blew up in early January 2025, when cash and card payment options were stopped in Galway City Council’s network of 90 car=park and on-street Pay and Display machines.

We won’t rehash it blow-by-blow, but there has been widespread confusion about how to pay for parking in the city since the introduction of a parking app in January.

The Council allowed a ‘grace period’ on January 8 when the app’s arrival coincided with what it called the pay and display machines being “unexpectedly” out of order, not accepting cash or tap payments.

After the grace period, tapping was no longer available, but some machines took coins. Then the Council covered the machines with hoods, because most were temporarily out of order, not accepting cash or card.

That was because the Council refused offers to maintain the machines, which were made by the company with the previous maintenance contract. That company had taken a judicial review about the awarding of a new contract to a rival company.

Not only was the offer to maintain the machines declined, the Council continued to issue parking fines for non-display of Pay and Display of parking tickets. This was happening. even though community wardens had told management that those fines were not supported by the existing 2009 Bye-Laws.

The old bye-laws reference paying for parking and displaying the tickets, something that was not possible for people paying by app, at Payzone shops, online or by phone because there was no ticket to display.

Will these fines stand up in Galway District Court? We’ll find out during the parking fines court sittings in 2026.

Councillors have voted to change the bye-laws, but there is also a proposal to scrap the machines altogether in favour of the current payment options, including the app.

A word of caution to councillors – and the executive – in favour of this route, which disproportionately impacts on elderly and those who are not tech-savvy.

Brighton and Hove City Council removed Pay and Display machines from that popular tourist resort in the South of England in May of 2023. At the time, there was opposition from businesses and residents, but the Council ploughed on, citing financial savings and hailing the wizardry of its new parking app. Sound familiar, Galway?

The following summer, Brighton and Hove City Council reintroduced 12 pay parking machines on busy streets as a trial.

The U-turn came following an outcry from residents who were having difficulty paying for parking on their mobile phones, including when internet coverage was down.

People without smartphones or who were parking in areas where a Payzone shop was not nearby, had also complained.

It’s a cautionary tale to Galway City Councillors who would do well to keep Pay and Display machines for coins and/or tapping, while maintaining and improving the app.

Pictured: A sign of the times. A disaffected customer delivering a firm message to the Council.