[Article] Luas plan for parking charges

ambasite

Row over Luas plan for parking charges


€4 parking charge seems excessive, on top of a max €3.80 return fare.

Victor

Originally posted by ambasite
€4 parking charge seems excessive

It's to stop people working in Sandyford from driving to Sandyford and parking their cars in the Luas car park.

Stuff

your ticket should work in the car park so. that way if you want to park in the luas car park you have to buy a ticket for the luas. Itll cost people the same that way.

seamus

Parking charges are great, as long as the parking ticket allows you to get on the Luas.

So you pay €4, get a ticket, which gives you a return fare. Maybe even an all-day fare, which would be the ideal thing when/if the LUAS gets larger/more lines.

That article gives nothing tbh. It doesn't even say there are plans to charge on top of the fare. Some hot air from someone looking to get their name out there before elections.

RicardoSmith

Originally posted by Stuff
your ticket should work in the car park so. that way if you want to park in the luas car park you have to buy a ticket for the luas. Itll cost people the same that way.

Exactly. A recent luas ticket should work on the exit gate. How hard is that?

loyatemu

It's to stop people working in Sandyford from driving to Sandyford and parking their cars in the Luas car park.

€4 isn't a major deterrent to this
it also doesn't explain why they are charging at the redcow p&r which is in the middle of nowhere.

RicardoSmith

Originally posted by loyatemu
It's to stop people working in Sandyford from driving to Sandyford and parking their cars in the Luas car park.

€4 isn't a major deterrent to this
it also doesn't explain why they are charging at the redcow p&r which is in the middle of nowhere.

I think the answer is...because they can.

Victor

Originally posted by RicardoSmith
Exactly. A recent luas ticket should work on the exit gate. How hard is that?

So what if I park there all day and buy an €0.80 ticket when finished?

RicardoSmith

Originally posted by Victor
So what if I park there all day and buy an €0.80 ticket when finished?

This is all dependent on their being a shortage of parking in Sandyford. Is there?

Victor

Originally posted by RicardoSmith
This is all dependent on their being a shortage of parking in Sandyford. Is there?

Well Luas were getting enquiries last October as to when the car park would be open. Lot of the factories and warehouses in Sandyford are being knocked and offices built in their place.

RicardoSmith

Originally posted by Victor
Well Luas were getting enquiries last October as to when the car park would be open. Lot of the factories and warehouses in Sandyford are being knocked and offices built in their place.

I ask because while I haven't worked up there for a few years, when I did, parking wasn't a problem, and I've never heard anyone complain about it either.

Steve Conway

The LUAS introductory booklet published today says it will be €4.00 a day for parking if you use the LUAS, and "more" if you can't prove that you have.

Also includes full list of prices for daily/weekly/monthly LUAS only or LUAS+Bus tickets (e.g. €85 for 1 month L+B).

Also, it states that they will run a reduced frequency for an undetermined period to allow people to "get used to it".

Victor

Originally posted by Steve Conway
Also, it states that they will run a reduced frequency for an undetermined period to allow people to "get used to it".

I wonder by "people" do they mean tram drivers?

georgia

How many park-and-ride spaces are to provided on the sandyford luas line? As I understand it, there are going to be 3 park-and-ride facilities. Sandyford, Stillorgan and Ballaly?

More important than the cost is the number of spaces provided. I've been unable to ascertain this information anywhere.

In addition, Frank MacDonald in his recent Irish Times article indicated that there are no feeder bus services planned for the Luas. this is dreadful.

georgia

A 4 euro charge for parking facilities seem reasonable. If there was a left luggage facility, people would be expected to pay. Why not pay for ones car?

People have to pay for parking all over dublin. why not at a luas station?

Boston has a wonderful public transport system. $0.95 to travel by bus on most routes. And $1.25 to travel by subway (on most of the system). As distinct from Dublin, the Boston mass public transit system is fabulous.

But they do charge for their park and ride facilities. Ranging from $2.00 to $4.50, depending on the station.

Victor

http://home.eircom.net/content/unison/national/3360336?view=Eircomnet

Park-and-ride Luas charges to see drivers pay €40 a week
From:The Irish Independent
Thursday, 10th June, 2004

MOTORISTS face a €4 daily charge to leave their cars at Luas park-and-ride sites - before buying a €3.80 return ticket for Dublin's new light rail system.

This means that they will fork out almost €8 for a total round trip daily - or €40 a week for the average commuter using five Luas park-and-ride facilities.

The trams start rolling at the end of this month.

But Transport Minister Seamus Brennan yesterday defended the charges and rejected calls by Eoin Ryan, the Fianna Fail Oireachtas Transport Committee chairman, to block them.

The minister said he had been assured by the Railway Procurement Agency (RPA) that the park-and-ride charges for Luas would be kept to a minimum.

Mr Brennan said the revenue generated by the parking charge would pay for security, protection and maintenance of the facilities and prevent them from being used by car owners not using the Luas.

A spokesperson for the minister said Mr Brennan had held a number of meetings with the RPA over the park-and-ride issue.

Luas would not be receiving a subvention, unlike CIE companies.

A combined Luas return ticket and park-and-ride charge would be comparatively cheap when compared with car parking of €15-€20 in the city centre, the spokesperson said.

Luas bosses are set to rake in €8,000 a day from five park-and-ride parks.

There are 2,000 parking spaces at Tallaght and the Red Cow on the Connolly line and at Balally, Stillorgan and Sandyford on the St Stephen's Green route.

The RPA also defended the charges and agreed they were needed to stop non-Luas users from parking at the stations for free.

Mr Ryan, who is running in the European elections, said the charges were unacceptable.

He said: "This Government encourages the use of public transport, therefore we must make services more affordable and attractive. It is unacceptable for Luas to charge passengers for parking on top of ticket fares."

Mr Ryan said he would be seeking a meeting with Mr Brennan and RPA chief executive Frank Allen.

The TD said Iarnrod Eireann was forced to back down last year on its plans to introduce parking charges at selected Dart stations in Dublin.

The same amount of pressure must now be placed on Luas bosses to ensure the new public transport system is widely used, he said.

The RPA, meanwhile, again warned motorists and motorcyclists not to be 'amber gamblers' at traffic lights or they could be hit by a tram.

Mr Brennan has written to the agency voicing fears that up to six people died when similar tram systems opened up elsewhere.

There will be no barriers separating Luas from pedestrians and motorists, who will just have to watch out for approaching trams.

Fears have been raised about the potential for a spate of serious accidents during the opening months.

Treacy Hogan Environment Correspondent

Steve Conway

This is the booklet in PDF form, some useful period ticket info.

Great to see you'll be able to buy weekly/monthly tickets from the machines on the platform with cash/Laser/credit card.


http://www.luas.ie/news/Queries%20About%20LUAS.pdf

BrianD

There were very poorly informed councillors on Newstalk 106 yesterday complaining about the price and that it should be free!! Their angle was that people wouldn't pay the €4 per day and then use the local neighbourhood as a car park. €4 per day is cheap, especially when a metre in the city centre costs €2 - 2.50 per hour and you run the risk of being clamped if you overstay by one micro second.

I can see the problem that businesses in sandyford are eying up the car parking spaces. Perhaps they can devise some sort of ticketing system that is a based on a return ticket plus parking fee and that you must validate the ticket at the destination to allow exit from the car park upon your return.

maxheadroom

Originally posted by Steve Conway
This is the booklet in PDF form, some useful period ticket info.

Great to see you'll be able to buy weekly/monthly tickets from the machines on the platform with cash/Laser/credit card.


www.luas.ie/news/Queries%...20LUAS.pdf

Any chance you could fix that link?

Steve Conway

http://www.luas.ie/news/Queries%20About%20LUAS.pdf


Lets see if that works!