Tax Breaks for Multi-Storey Carparks & Park&Ride to be phased out

gaf1983

I was reading in the Sunday Times today that the government is planning to phase out tax breaks for development of multi-storey carparks and park and ride facilities by 2006. This I feel is a pity. Limerick is crying out for those facilities given it's chronic traffic problems (regarding the lack of a park and ride service here) and I feel that three places that could definately do with multi-storey carparks (all in the suburbs) are LIT, UL and the Mid-Western Regional Hospital.


(I dunno if this is in the right thread, maybe it should be in the Limerick City Centre Urban Renewal thread...)

Sunn

Trying to get out to LIT in the morning is a joke.. i actually walk some mornings if the weather is fine and almost everyday walk home..

..it isn't too bad though its oly 40 mins

RainyDay

Why the hell should there be tax breaks to encourage more & more cars? Any available funds should be ploughed into public transport, not subsidising car park developers.

If Limerick really is 'crying out' for more car parks, let the developers and the users pay the going rate.

Amazotheamazing

Agree, anyhow there's loads of carparks in town, more than most other Irish cities. in the city centre there's Arthur's Quay, Dunnes Stores, Above Clohessy's, behind the Revenue Comm, opposite the old Quarter, Thomas Street, further out you have one by Barrington's and one by Steamboat Quay. That's at least 8, how many more do you want?

gaf1983

Amazotheamazing wrote:

Agree, anyhow there's loads of carparks in town, more than most other Irish cities. in the city centre there's Arthur's Quay, Dunnes Stores, Above Clohessy's, behind the Revenue Comm, opposite the old Quarter, Thomas Street, further out you have one by Barrington's and one by Steamboat Quay. That's at least 8, how many more do you want?

In my post I said that none of the places that could do with multi-storey carparks - UL, LIT and The Regional - are anywhere near the city centre, which has it's fair share of them.

And Rainyday, while I agree that far more money should be invested in public transport, there will always be people who rely on cars for transport because it's impossible for buses to serve all areas, for instance rural areas, so these people should be catered for. I think multi-storey carparks should be encouraged in the place of open-air carparks because they take up less space that could be used for other developments.

Also in my opening post I noted that the tax-breaks for park and ride facilities are to be dropped - this is a case where funding for public transport is being cut, and I said it is a pity that this is the case.

zachler

I don't think UL or LIT need multi-storey car parks. They need improved public transport and for students to stop using cars.

I think its great that the economy is doing so well that daddy buys a car for his little darling son/daughter but unless a student is commuting from County Limerick or another county every day there's really no need.

Multi-storey car parks make traffic worse, not better, because they encourage more people to drive more often.

gaf1983

zachler wrote:

Multi-storey car parks make traffic worse, not better, because they encourage more people to drive more often.

The reality is that people will continue to drive rather than use public trasnsport for many years before there is a significant improvement in public transport so people see it as a viable alternative to car-use.

I'm not saying that multi-storey carparks are better than improved public transport, because I don't believe they are, but I am saying they're better than open-air carparks because they take up less space.

mysterious

As far as I'm aware they're building one near Thomas street. and I'm sure they build another one near Henry Street, for the Befdord Row redevelopment and street and also possibly at the ESB site or the Old Dunne's on Sarsfield street.

1huge1

unfair as dublin has benifeted from this very much and now limerick wont really get a chance

RainyDay

gaf1983 wrote:

I'm not saying that multi-storey carparks are better than improved public transport, because I don't believe they are, but I am saying they're better than open-air carparks because they take up less space.

Weak, very weak.....

Are you really, really saying that the 'less space' arguement justifies the State losing tax income?

The Lopper

Cause i don't have a car yet, and am too stingy to pay the prices Bus Éireann charges, i walk across the city if i ever need too. Got from the Parkway to the Crescent in just over 20 mins once, thats my record.

1huge1

The Lopper wrote:

Cause i don't have a car yet, and am too stingy to pay the prices Bus Éireann charges, i walk across the city if i ever need too. Got from the Parkway to the Crescent in just over 20 mins once, thats my record.

parkwat to cresent in 20mins ya right you must of been sprinting the whole way

irishguy

zachler wrote:

I don't think UL or LIT need multi-storey car parks. They need improved public transport and for students to stop using cars.

I think its great that the economy is doing so well that daddy buys a car for his little darling son/daughter but unless a student is commuting from County Limerick or another county every day there's really no need.

Multi-storey car parks make traffic worse, not better, because they encourage more people to drive more often.

Yes they do need Multi-storey car parks. I have been going to LIT for 4 years and i have see how much worse the parking situation is getting. Its gotten so bad that lectures cant get spaces unless they are in at 8.30 and if they have to leave for a meeting there is no chance of getting a parking space when they get back.
And most of this is down to LIT's poor planning. As this year they inroduced 7 new Degree courses and next year there are 4 new Degree courses + new postgrad courses + a new incubation center which will house 20 business and how much student/staff parking has been allocated ? none it has actually been reduced to provide space for new buildings.

The amount of people that are commuting from county Limerick, clare, Tipperary and even cork is huge. There are people commuting from well outside roscrea, ennis, and kilmeedy [near the cork border]. I even know of one guy who had to get up at 6am for a 9am lecture to get public transport to Limerick [He was living in County Cork] I could safely say that half of my class would never be able to take public transport to college even if there is a drastic improvement in public transport.
I agree that there should be a huge amount of resources invested into public transport but there should also be an investment for motorist to cope with there immediate problems.

The current public transport system is an utter joke. i Live in Rosbrien ,Co Limerick and it is faster for me to walk to LIT [50mins] than get a bus [anywhere between 1h to 1.40mins if they turn up, taking 2 buses each way] with a little improvement in public transport i could easily take the bus to college.
Its not a matter of daddy buying them a car, it is an essencial part of there lives, without which they couldent get to college. People in 4th year are working 20-30 hours a week to pay to keep there cars on the road so they can attend college.

And of the record i dont drive.
Now thats my rant over....

The Lopper

1huge1 wrote:

parkwat to cresent in 20mins ya right you must of been sprinting the whole way

Nah, i was just walking very fast. Iz got long legs Seriously it is possible, but i guess usually it would be more like 30-35 mins