Launch of new Cork Public Bikes Scheme

kingtut · 24-03-2015 6:59pm

mire wrote: »

There are laods and loads of car parking spaces in cork city. Far too many in fact. It's great to see the bike stands relacing car parking spaces.
I suspect the scheme will be extended in Cork in a year or two - to Douglas, Wilton, County Hall, Blackrock.

Loads? Have a drive around Cork city on a Saturday and I'm sure you will see that there is a severe lack of them! Especially now that many have been taken over by the coke bikes.

Bacchus · 24-03-2015 8:23pm

kingtut wrote: »

Sorry haven't been on in a while.
I don't mean have a station only in Douglas, I meant have stations all the way from the city to Douglas.

They'll go out to Douglas eventually I imagine. For the initial roll out though, the priority (it appears) was to provide a good service to the city center and a few key locations within a short cycling distance. Fair enough really. This will be a gradual deployment across the greater Cork City area. I imagine Wilton/Bishopstown/CIT, Blackrock & Blackpool will be done sooner than Douglas though. Not basing that on much, just my opinion.

kingtut wrote: »

Loads? Have a drive around Cork city on a Saturday and I'm sure you will see that there is a severe lack of them! Especially now that many have been taken over by the coke bikes.

I've never had a problem getting a parking space in Cork on any day of the week at any time. Plenty of multi-stories, plenty of street parking in walking distance of city center and a decent amount of street parking in the city center itself. I never once tried to park in the city and been forced to turn back for lack of a space. Don't see the issue myself of sacrificing a few parking spaces for the bike stations. Most stations I've seen anyway are on pedestrianized areas.

Infracted · 24-03-2015 11:03pm

kingtut wrote: »

Loads? Have a drive around Cork city on a Saturday and I'm sure you will see that there is a severe lack of them! Especially now that many have been taken over by the coke bikes.

Always spots up the top of Patricks Hill which is free parking if you dont mind the hill.

mire · 25-03-2015 12:11pm

kingtut wrote: »

Loads? Have a drive around Cork city on a Saturday and I'm sure you will see that there is a severe lack of them! Especially now that many have been taken over by the coke bikes.

There is no shortage of car parking in cork city. None. There's an oversupply in fact. Your anecdote of driving into town on a saturday is exactly the point. In what type of city would you expect to be able to drive into its city cenre on a saturday and for there to be loads of on-street car parking. Just waiting for you???

SteelyDanJalapeno · 25-03-2015 12:20pm

Yeah to be honest I've never had a problem finding parking in the city, even on Patrick's day I found a space after a few minutes, you know one stations houses like 12-15 bikes? That would take like 3 car spaces. Can't believe some people are not happy with that.

D'Agger · 25-03-2015 12:29pm

My problem with the parking in Cork City, and I've said this multiple times, is the lack of available tickets - automated macines are needed particularly around UCC/Mardyke area. There's tonnes of parking there and now with the bikes you'll be in the city in minutes - yet there's no place to purchase a ticket in or around that area.

I've bought 5 tickets and kept them in my car which is handy but such foresight shouldn't be required - make parking tickets more available!

Pitcairn · 25-03-2015 12:33pm

I use the park by phone system and parking in Cork is so easy.
No matter how busy it is you will always find somewhere.
If I am making a short trip I will often get a spot on Castle Street near The Roundy or else at the back of the courthouse, about as close to the city centre as you will get.
If I'm in town for longer I'll park near the Mardyke bowling for two hours. If I need to go to the other side of town I'd park near Connolly Hall, also two hours.
With the park magic you can just add another disc using your phone if you stay too long.

D'Agger · 25-03-2015 12:44pm

Pitcairn wrote: »

I use the park by phone system and parking in Cork is so easy.
No matter how busy it is you will always find somewhere.
If I am making a short trip I will often get a spot on Castle Street near The Roundy or else at the back of the courthouse, about as close to the city centre as you will get.
If I'm in town for longer I'll park near the Mardyke bowling for two hours. If I need to go to the other side of town I'd park near Connolly Hall, also two hours.
With the park magic you can just add another disc using your phone if you stay too long.

FFS I forgot the last time I gave out about the lack of meters this was mentioned to me

I've a work phone but must look into this to see if it can be linked to my account/card rather than phone bill

cgcsb · 25-03-2015 3:00pm

There's way too much street parking in all Irish Cities. Cork has wasted tonnes of lovely riverside space on car parking. Same as Waterford where the river front could make a lovely pedestrian and park space, but no, parking. Dublin's quayside outside the fourcourts, parking (although it's to go in the very immediate future)

KCAccidental · 25-03-2015 5:36pm

the council are looking to do something similar here with a boardwalk and park space from beamish to the clarion in the next couple of years.

kingtut · 26-03-2015 2:10am

Bacchus wrote: »

I never once tried to park in the city and been forced to turn back for lack of a space.

I only ever drive into the city on a Saturday and I struggle to get a parking space 95% of the time, obviously this is on the main city centre streets (I think it is a given that as you drive further away from the city the chances of getting parking dramatically increases).

Infracted wrote: »

Always spots up the top of Patricks Hill which is free parking if you dont mind the hill.

I'm based on the south side but handy to know there are spots there, I usually end up somewhere around barrack st.

mire wrote: »

There is no shortage of car parking in cork city. None. There's an oversupply in fact. Your anecdote of driving into town on a saturday is exactly the point. In what type of city would you expect to be able to drive into its city cenre on a saturday and for there to be loads of on-street car parking. Just waiting for you???

There is NOT an oversupply of parking, as you have pointed out yourself I cannot expect there to be loads of parking on a Saturday. Saturday is the only day I am in the city and 95% of the time the streets closest to the city have 0 parking spaces. I can park further away and get a space (which I do a lot of the time). Simple fact is though that if there was an over supply then parking on a Saturday would be a doddle.

kingtut · 26-03-2015 2:12am

Pitcairn wrote: »

I use the park by phone system and parking in Cork is so easy.
.

Can you tell me how much it costs? Is it the park magic thing?

mire · 26-03-2015 12:30pm

kingtut wrote: »

I only ever drive into the city on a Saturday and I struggle to get a parking space 95% of the time, obviously this is on the main city centre streets (I think it is a given that as you drive further away from the city the chances of getting parking dramatically increases).

I'm based on the south side but handy to know there are spots there, I usually end up somewhere around barrack st.

There is NOT an oversupply of parking, as you have pointed out yourself I cannot expect there to be loads of parking on a Saturday. Saturday is the only day I am in the city and 95% of the time the streets closest to the city have 0 parking spaces. I can park further away and get a space (which I do a lot of the time). Simple fact is though that if there was an over supply then parking on a Saturday would be a doddle.

Are you serious? That's very strange logic. So, you think that there is a shortage of car parking in cork city on the basis that when you travel into the city centre on a saturday, there is no ON-STREET parking in the locations where you want to park. In summary, there is a car parking shortage in Cork, using the following criteria:

1. for you
2. on street
3. in places only where you want to park
4. on a saturday

Hence, Cork city should provide additional car parking spaces, sufficient to ensure that there will always be car parking available in on-street locations in certain streets and on saturdays. And only then will Cork have sufficient car parking!

On the other had we could look at evidence rather than anecdotes. Recent surveys of a multi-storey car park in North Main Street [2 minutes from Patrick Street] suggests over 50% underuse! Many multi-storeys now offer lower rates for upper floors - suggesting major under utilisation -i.e. empty spaces. Sounds like an oversupply issue to me.

Bacchus · 26-03-2015 4:09pm

kingtut wrote: »

I only ever drive into the city on a Saturday and I struggle to get a parking space 95% of the time, obviously this is on the main city centre streets (I think it is a given that as you drive further away from the city the chances of getting parking dramatically increases).

I think maybe your expectations are tad unrealistic so. It's a little bit vague what you mean by "main city center streets" - is this Patrick Street? North Main Street? If so, you can hardly expect there to be spaces always available there. They are premium spots that will fill up first. A few spaces lost due to the bike stations isn't going to change that in any significant way.

Besides, there are loads of alternatives though in the multi-stories and plenty of streets within 5-10 minutes walk of the city center where you can get a spot. This is a non-issue IMO and a very weak argument to make against the introduction of the bike stations.

scuby · 26-03-2015 7:19pm

I have the park magic disc. (same as a tax disc size) The same a/c also covers the toll tag in the car. You can download an app for parkmagic on the phone, and when you are parked up, can pick the location on the phone by street name, and it's taken from that one a/c. It know which streets has the 1 or 2 hours limit etc
They also set up the a/c so it automatically tops up from your Bank a/c when it gets below a certain amount. Handy so you don't have to keep an eye on the amount in the account

evilivor · 26-03-2015 7:34pm

Bacchus wrote: »

I think maybe your expectations are tad unrealistic so. It's a little bit vague what you mean by "main city center streets" - is this Patrick Street? North Main Street? If so, you can hardly expect there to be spaces always available there. They are premium spots that will fill up first. A few spaces lost due to the bike stations isn't going to change that in any significant way.

Are those bike stations, like most of the others (I've not seen them all), not on the pavement? No parking spaces lost.

KCAccidental · 26-03-2015 9:05pm

South Mall and Leitrim Street are the only stations in the centre that I can think of where spaces were taken.

Infracted · 27-03-2015 12:49am

KCAccidental wrote: »

South Mall and Leitrim Street are the only stations in the centre that I can think of where spaces were taken.

UCC lost 5 or 6 spots (google.ie/maps/place/University+College+Cork/@51.893596,-8.494435,3a,75y,101.39h,79.43t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sHLQ07cJ7pliScWCMdTIRdw!2e0!4m2!3m1!1s0x4844902380bbc323:0x4d8a4bf0835e5291) Hardly the worst but those spots were handy out if you were in a rush to a lecture. I dont know who use the bikes there now as they are right at the edge and there is another rank right outside the main gate nearer the city centre. Hopefully this means there is expansion out towards Dennehys Cross.

KCAccidental · 27-03-2015 1:06am

yeah I know those spaces well. That station is handy for people coming from Ard na Laoi or living in the the Castlewhite apartments.

Going Strong · 27-03-2015 5:02pm

Well, the bike scheme seems popular with some people at any rate. I was watching a junkie trying to take one this morning outside the Moderne but he couldn't break the lock on it and had to give up.

TheChizler · 09-05-2015 5:26pm

Used the bikes today on the Washington st. contra flow lane for the first time, I'd honestly have been faster walking. The bike specific lights took forever to change, and is wasn't obvious if you were supposed to push the pedestrian crossing button or not, you couldn't in most places without leaving the bike lane anyway. Next time I'll be using the mardyke instead for convenience.

SomeFool · 09-05-2015 8:33pm

TheChizler wrote: »

Used the bikes today on the Washington st. contra flow lane for the first time, I'd honestly have been faster walking. The bike specific lights took forever to change, and is wasn't obvious if you were supposed to push the pedestrian crossing button or not, you couldn't in most places without leaving the bike lane anyway. Next time I'll be using the mardyke instead for convenience.

Don't use it myself, cars shoot out from Little Hanover St near the Kino and they just don't expect cyclists to come from the left. A very dangerous spot, poorly marked. The contra flow lanes are poor, Probys quay is really dangerous going towards the Crawford now as cars can squeeze you close as the contra flow lane has robbed the space there.

The bikes however are fantastic. Quality amenity for locals and tourists alike to take advantage of!

ncur · 29-05-2015 4:33pm

I don't suppose anyone has a geographical telephone number for the bikeshare administrators, An Rothar Nua? I used the service today, picked up bike, cycled bike to destination, put bike back, green light on stand, walked away. I got a text 2 hours after I originally borrowed the bike telling me I owed €1.50 for an overdue bike. Rang the 0818 number, was told, oh sorry about that, our mistake, you won't be charged anything. But the phonecall to correct the mistake cost as much as the overdue charge! :eek:

So, for future reference, if this happens again, does anyone have a landline number for them?

I did search online, but came up with nothing.

TheChizler · 29-05-2015 4:55pm

ncur wrote: »

I don't suppose anyone has a geographical telephone number for the bikeshare administrators, An Rothar Nua? I used the service today, picked up bike, cycled bike to destination, put bike back, green light on stand, walked away. I got a text 2 hours after I originally borrowed the bike telling me I owed €1.50 for an overdue bike. Rang the 0818 number, was told, oh sorry about that, our mistake, you won't be charged anything. But the phonecall to correct the mistake cost as much as the overdue charge! :eek:

So, for future reference, if this happens again, does anyone have a landline number for them?

I did search online, but came up with nothing.

I found the personal mobile number of one of the directors but I doubt that's useful

PrzemoF · 29-05-2015 5:01pm

I found something interesting. Their 818 number is the same as this company: http://2bill.ie/contact.html so it might be payment handling outsourcing.
Use email next time: info@anrotharnua.ie

ncur · 29-05-2015 5:47pm

TheChizler wrote: »

I found the personal mobile number of one of the directors but I doubt that's useful

J** M**** by any chance? Might come in handy. They're still sending the text messages, am getting a tad stressed now.

ncur · 29-05-2015 5:48pm

PrzemoF wrote: »

I found something interesting. Their 818 number is the same as this company: http://2bill.ie/contact.html so it might be payment handling outsourcing.
Use email next time: info@anrotharnua.ie

Yah have fired off an email also to contact@bikeshare.ie but when you need an instantaneous response a direct phonecall is my preferred option.

retweet · 27-06-2015 5:06pm

Do they take the €150 deposit every time you rent out a bike?

TheChizler · 27-06-2015 6:38pm

They only take it if you lose the bike. They don't even put a hold on the money either, so doesn't affect you at all unless the bike isn't back by midnight.

retweet · 27-06-2015 6:52pm

TheChizler wrote: »

They only take it if you lose the bike. They don't even put a hold on the money either, so doesn't affect you at all unless the bike isn't back by midnight.

Ah I see! Thanks!

Launch of new Cork Public Bikes Scheme

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