Are the Council Promoting Ennis

graflynn

Usually when businesses want to expand or start anew they do some market research. I'm wondering if the traders could undertake a survey of some kind on what would bring more people to town to spend money?

All the other ideas that have been posted on this thread are good but they seem like they are just one offs.

If I was asked "what would bring me into town more?" my answer would be earlier opening hours. Most of the Ennis National schools start at 9am, yet a lot of business don't open until 10. So I just go home and get on with my day instead of hanging around town.

Another idea would be to have designated 15min free parking for when you have a small child in tow and you have to run into the chemist or Tesco for a litre of milk. You end up paying 1.20/E1 for 10 mins of parking.

dr.fuzzenstein

graflynn wrote: »

Another idea would be to have designated 15min free parking for when you have a small child in tow and you have to run into the chemist or Tesco for a litre of milk. You end up paying 1.20/E1 for 10 mins of parking.

A grace period for parking would be nice.
In my own hometown in Germany (comparable size and also surrounded by loads of malls) the inner town was about to become a ghost town because people would rather go to one of the many (and quite fantastic) malls dotted around the area in easy reach via the Autobahn.
A lot of similarities to Ennis there.
There is some shopping there, but no inner town will be heavy on shopping in the future, maybe specialized shops and also cafes, bars and restaurants along with general sightseeing and festivals.
Most of the parking spaces are free for a certain period of time and a small fee applies thereafter, but nowhere near the exorbitant rates charged in Ennis.
A lot of it is pedestrianized and allows for a relaxed stroll round town and there are parks and lots of places to sit down and relax.
Ennis seems like an anthill compared to that, you have to drive around town 3-4 times before you find a space and try to get into it while some people actually try to block you from getting the space, not because they want it, but because they don't want you to have it.
This has happened me on numerous occasions.
Once you're parked you need to feed the meter and marvel at the little time your dosh buys you.
Then you need to dodge other pedestrians that hog the entire width of the (very small) footpaths on Abbey street and O'Connel street whilst cars splash you with water and you have buckets rattled at you every 5 meters.
So, whilst glancing at your watch, you just do what you came to do, nothing else, no niceties, hurry back to your car and breathe a sigh of relief as you GTFO of town.
Ennis is not relaxing.
It's more like being in a blender with an alligator.

CptSternn

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

Ennis seems like an anthill compared to that, you have to drive around town 3-4 times before you find a space and try to get into it while some people actually try to block you from getting the space, not because they want it, but because they don't want you to have it.
This has happened me on numerous occasions.
Once you're parked you need to feed the meter and marvel at the little time your dosh buys you.
Then you need to dodge other pedestrians that hog the entire width of the (very small) footpaths on Abbey street and O'Connel street whilst cars splash you with water and you have buckets rattled at you every 5 meters.
So, whilst glancing at your watch, you just do what you came to do, nothing else, no niceties, hurry back to your car and breathe a sigh of relief as you GTFO of town.
Ennis is not relaxing.
It's more like being in a blender with an alligator.

+1

They really need to pedestrianise the town. It's amazing businesses don't want this.

I hate going through town. You have to fight for parking on busy days or during peak hours. I like parking in the Dunnes carkpark as normally they have space but forget about it on busy days. Even when you find a space there you are playing beat the clock as you have two hours, maximum. An hour goes to weekly grocery shopping and standing in the queue. That leaves an hour to get up town and do whatever else you need. If I am going to the bank or post office thats two hours right there, forget stopping in anywhere else as with a buggy thats the most ground a person can cover from that car park.

As mentioned above on rainy days, and lets face it, there are lots of them here, you are constantly splashed by cars. Also as mentioned above you also have to fight through the collection buckets, Trocaire, Concern, and all the other people soliciting you for money to get to where you need to go. If you go to Dunnes, you are again hit with people asking you for money as they grab at your groceries.

I take the family to Limerick as other posters have said as I like to avoid all of this circus. If I can't make it to Limerick we go to Lidl's as it is far enough out you don't have all these problems either.

Coonaghs Cross has ample free parking, no groups of roving youths and old ladies stopping everywhere on the footpath blocking everything so people like myself with a buggy can't get through, no people harassing my family for money, and I don't have to get soaked to the bone by passing cars when I am shopping.

Mr. G

Multinational utility companies are seeking to invest more than €2bn in renewable energy in Clare goo.gl/oVXzO

I'm not sure if the council have anything to do with it though..

Mr. G

CptSternn wrote: »

+1

Also as mentioned above you also have to fight through the collection buckets, Trocaire, Concern, and all the other people soliciting you for money to get to where you need to go. If you go to Dunnes, you are again hit with people asking you for money as they grab at your groceries.

I take the family to Limerick as other posters have said as I like to avoid all of this circus. If I can't make it to Limerick we go to Lidl's as it is far enough out you don't have all these problems either.

Coonaghs Cross has ample free parking, no groups of roving youths and old ladies stopping everywhere on the footpath blocking everything so people like myself with a buggy can't get through, no people harassing my family for money, and I don't have to get soaked to the bone by passing cars when I am shopping.

I think there was something on the news about busking etc. That they might have to move a certain distance away from an ATM etc. Permanent TSB's ATM's are right beside Dunnes...
TBH, your suggestions regards moving the market etc. Will make it a lot easier to move around and it won't be as jammed!

Lidl is a lot easier to get a parking space being outside of town centre...

dr.fuzzenstein

Mr_Grumpy wrote: »

TBH, your suggestions regards moving the market etc. Will make it a lot easier to move around and it won't be as jammed!

Absolutely. The market as it is isn't working too well.
You cannot take a market and simply put it into a busy street with cars going through.
There is nothing nicer than going through a market and browsing for unique stuff and nice food, have seen many in France, they're a big thing there.
If there was a nice space for the market to move to (Lower Market Street car park springs to mind) I'd be glad to go.