parking

lilyrose

just spent an hour tryin to get a parking space n missed my first class joke ! went down to students union about it he needs more people down to compalin so if ur affected go down to them cuz thats what they are there for. the parking is a complete joke

That_Guy

I agree totally. I can't drive myself but there just seems to be cars everywhere in the morning. It's getting to the stage where students don't really care about where they park as long as they have somwhere.

The only thing I could recommend is maybe parking in the town and getting a bus up to the college?

Atomic Pineapple

yep i've one class from 1 - 3 on a wednesday and i have to come in for 9 in the morning to get a space, not much the students union can do, theres just simply not enough spaces for the amount of cars, having the fas courses on while the main college is open is a joke they should do them in the summer or something because every apprentice drives into the college in there own car

That_Guy

It's ridiculous. It also leads to a lot more traffic just outside the college. Even if I pop over to Texaco it's so difficult to get back over to the other side of the road. If people live close by then just get the bus to the campus. There's no shortage of them.

And for further incentive I'll even bring people on for free with my travel pass. Problem solved.

lilyrose

yea having the fas courses on is a completejoke atleastsome ofthe nurses r away on placement next week! but they shouldnt expect us to pay for parking when we can neverget a space.

smemon

well obviously things have talken a turn for the better (from our point of view).

Someone, somewhere must be fighting against it and making progress.

I think we should all get stickers... those that have to travel x distance get free parking.

And those within x distance have to pay. All others have to pay.

It's the fairest system.. if you have to travel like 1hr +, you more than likely can't get a bus/reasonable times, that's my case anyway. (about 2 hour round trip).

Oh, and why don't those motorbikes get clamped that sit on the footpath outside the staff carpark everyday

Ok, they're not in the way really, but then again there are plenty of cars that get clamped that aren't really in the way...

lilyrose

at least d pay parking gone for the forseeable future wohoo oh and 1 more question why do the staff not have to pay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That_Guy

No, they don't. Kind of stupid. Yeah ok they are paid to educate us etc but if you think about it, without us attending the college they'd have no job. It can go either way really.

annex

Ok so let me get this right, all the trade students are FAS apprentices? If thats the case then they should not have priority over DkIT students. The apprentices should have to park in Horseware.
One thing I did notice, at the bus stop in Hoeys lane I have seen cars parked with staff stickers but they haven't been towed. Do the cops only lift student cars or would they tow a staff car if it was parked on Hoeys lane?
This is all very biased, I would imagine the staff are on good wages and a lot of the students are on very limited incomes so its not really fair to ask students to pay for parking.

That_Guy

Agreed. I thought I heard someone say that they're on 40 euro an hour.

Splat75

Think about the motorbike thing for a second, imagine if the people on motorbikes parked in a designated space. Apparently the policy is "all vehicles must park in a designated space", if the bikes took a space up there'd be uproar. As for the FAS courses, agreed, they all seem to have a car each, they are here for about 12 weeks at a time, and there are three or four lots of them a year. The reason they get seem to be able to get spaces is because a lot of them have classes from 9-5 every day

annex

That_Guy wrote:

Agreed. I thought I heard someone say that they're on 40 euro an hour.

It wouldn't bloody surprise me.

That_Guy

Ridiculous really. And they don't have to pay for parking.

K.O.Kiki

HAHAHAHAHA what?

Atomic Pineapple

there not on 40euro an hour, there on whatever the minimum wage is for there phase of the apprenticeship, its between €10 - €18 if i remember correctly, they do however get expenses paid for too so depending on how far they travel they can get around an extra €70 on top of that for the week, still a ridicolous wage for what they do

That_Guy

I was talking about the lecturers.

Atomic Pineapple

That_Guy wrote:

I was talking about the lecturers.

ah right i see, that makes more sense alright, my mistake, sorry

MDTyKe

Has anyone noticed that the students have in fact LOST a car park? The car park on the right when entering the main, is now Staff Only.

I don't remember hearing consultation about this? Surely decisions like this cant just be made without consultation? The management is an absolute JOKE; I am ashamed to be part of a college where the management is this bad.


Matt

That_Guy

Mutiny anyone?

annex

Go for it....

K.O.Kiki

International talk-like-a-pirate Day is over, y'know

That_Guy

It'll never be over. Yarr!!!

*swashbuckles way to management offices*

Atomic Pineapple

i never realised that car park was available to students??

very annoying, i've one class on a wednesday from 1 -3 and its dodgy goin in at 1 to try and find a place

MDTyKe

The car park on the right on the way in was always for student use; it just filled up extremely quickly. The big one on the left was always Staff Only. Now both are. We've been robbed.


Matt

Atomic Pineapple

anyone want to start an online petition or shall we all send strongly worded emails to the SU?

MDTyKe

Something NEEDS to be done about it. Did you notice the huge queues of cars trying to LEAVE the college around 9 this morning? Massive queues of people who couldn't get parked. It's mad.

Matt

annex

draffodx wrote:

anyone want to start an online petition or shall we all send strongly worded emails to the SU?

I doubt that will do any good, they don't seem to be much cop.

Atomic Pineapple

annex wrote: »

I doubt that will do any good, they don't seem to be much cop.

gives us a basis to ask them to be replaced if they dont do anything

annex

draffodx wrote: »

gives us a basis to ask them to be replaced if they dont do anything

Very valid point.
Have they actually done anything to support the students? In fact, what actually does the union do? (The only time I have seen them is when they were flogging those grey hoodies)
I say petition the buggers, get the local press involved too.

embee

Today was the worst day I've had in terms of trying to find parking. I was in college just before 8.45 and there were no spaces at all... ended up having to park in Rockfield and was inevitably late for my first class. This situation is just ridiculous - I can't believe they've assigned more places for staff (the small car park on the right on the Dublin Road entrance) - it has essentially taken more spaces away from the student body... way more students than there are staff.

I would complain, but I don't have time. Course is over 30 hours a week

annex

If the union had balls they would do something about it.

lilyrose

go down to union n complainwe talkedto like about it but he can only do something if people complain to him n not just to themselves. apparently lecturers were been late for class due to lack of parking n students complained about that , thats why they got an extra car park!

smemon

Yeah i noticed this morning (well, thursday) was particularly bad.. as in the place was full by 8.50.

On a side note, i noticed there was a car clamped on tuesday afternoon (big car park to the left of whitaker), it sat there all day wednesday and it was still there thursday morning

It's a tough one for the college.. they can't keep everyone happy. Clamping, pay parking etc installs fear and order but at the same time you can't 'get rid' of the amount of cars there.

Pay parking won't help. It will simply generate revenue and take from the poor.

Permits / favouring full time DKIT students is the only way to go imo... or like i said before, getting all car owners to fill out a detailed application form, then issuing permits to those that have to travel long distances and have no / lack of bus services.

europerson

smemon wrote: »

getting all car owners to fill out a detailed application form, then issuing permits to those that have to travel long distances and have no / lack of bus services.

This is really the way to go. The number of students in DKIT, who travel by car (usually on their own) to college, is utterly ridiculous. I can see no parallel in any other third-level institution. Students from Dundalk itself drive to college; I know people who live directly along the DKIT bus route where I live and they drive to college. Do people want the whole campus turned into a giant car park, is that it? So much for the whole "green college with the wind turbine" vibe.

The college has to make the best use of the space available to it, and giving more spaces for students' cars is disincentivising public transport. I don't have statistics on this (perhaps the SU could supply them), but it would appear that a disproportionate fraction of the DKIT student body travel to college in cars vis-à-vis other colleges. It's an utterly ridiculous situtation. Both the college authorities and DKITSU ought to be ashamed of the farce that's taking place in DKIT. All it takes is some leadership and decisiveness, but it's clear that neither side is willing to take the adequate steps. If the college decides to continue with its policies, and if the SU doesn't motivate itself into being something other than a group of lazy hacks, whose understanding of their role in the college is rather lacking, then students will go elsewhere and so be it. That would be Dundalk's loss.

I've heard first-year students giving out about the pay parking, and how they didn't know when they were applying, blah, blah, blah. Surely, choosing one's college is a major decision, and it ought not to be taken lightly, so I can't see why these students did not investigate, and they would have very easily unearthed the college's plans for pay-parking.

kowloon

draffodx wrote: »

still a ridicolous wage for what they do

elaborate........

sandyg

Totally agree with europerson. I notice that 99.9% of all cars going to the college only have one person in it. Why not share the driving ie car pool. At least that would take some of the cars off the road! How did people manage use to when there was only public transport. Its not as if there are no buses going to and from the college every day for the local students who live within a 2/3 mile radius of the college.

smemon

sandyg wrote: »

Totally agree with europerson. I notice that 99.9% of all cars going to the college only have one person in it. Why not share the driving ie car pool. At least that would take some of the cars off the road! How did people manage use to when there was only public transport. Its not as if there are no buses going to and from the college every day for the local students who live within a 2/3 mile radius of the college.

car pooling is a nice idea - like communism.

it doesn't work and just creates more stress/problems...

it means people rely on other people for lifts/to be on time/get home etc..

most people are on different timetables also so it's a big mess trying to get 2/3/4 people on the same wavelength/times for 5 days of the week.

if the driver is sick/slept in/forgets about you.. you're screwed. so it's a nice gesture, but it doesn't work for most people, certainly not long term.

Atomic Pineapple

sorry kowloon disregard my statement, i was confused about what we were actually discussing and messed up my argument

as for car pooling, me and my next door neighbour both go to dkit, we live about 20miles from dkit in the sticks so public transport links are way too poor for us to use, we do try to share cars as much as we can but this usually only works 2 - 3 days a week cos of our timetables

kowloon

draffodx wrote: »

sorry kowloon disregard my statement, i was confused about what we were actually discussing and messed up my argument

No worries, just bringing attention to something that could be taken badly by someone.

As for carpooling, you need to be on the same timetable for it to work at all.
Motorcycles are the way to go, that and more campus accomodation, you could easily spend half of what it costs to rent on petrol and other travel expenses.
Factor in the time wasted and it makes a very good case for moving to Dundalk, and you get to go to all the socials you want.

embee

I'm from Ardee, but I drive in. It would be completely infeasible for me to get the bus into college as I have to leave my daughter with her childminder at different times every morning. The bus service is pithy at best....

Not to worry though. Most of the first year nurses and midwives will be going on placement for 6 weeks from the first week of November onwards, so that should free up a good few spaces.

MDTyKe

The big problem, is, indeed that the public transport isnt adequate. A far cry, but if a LUAS line went past every house, straight to DKIT, you would take it.

The reality is, we dont have anything close. I now get a ride with someone every day, but I used to get the bus. To be honest, it's just horrible. (I live in Newry). The buses only go up a few times a day, so you're working around timetables, with usually waits of 2 hours on average.

There was no direct bus to DKIT, only to Dundalk ,then I had to wait outside to get another bus to college. Fair enough. However, on the way back, I had to get a bus from Hoey's Lane to Dundalk. Every freakin day it was raining, and there wasn't a shelter, or even a tree in sight. You would have to wait 20 minutes, get myself and my laptop soaked, for 2 buses to come along at once, or one going past that doesn't take your ticket.

It's a sad situation really; and to be totaly honest.. I felt quite degraded using public transport. Waiting outside in the cold for so long, then more waiting in Dundalk because the bus station closes ridiculously early (6pm). It was fine in Summer, but when Winter came, I don't know how I beared it to be honest.

Matt

K.O.Kiki

I used a bicycle.

It was good, except when it rained -- which was often.

MDTyKe

I wrote an article for the DKITimes about the mess.. will be interesting if it comes up!


Matt

annex

I have to agree with the point made about the local buses. I had the unfortunate experience to use that City Imp bus on a few occasions last week, that bus should seriously come with a health warning. The smell is disgusting, its like it has been used a a toilet.
I live in town, my house is about 3 miles from college, If I get the 8.10am bus I get into the college just before 9am. The bus goes through the 3 big estates in town and takes the most backward route possible. Its a joke. There should be DKIT buses from town, that leave from the bus office/town and go straight to the college with pick up points on the way. Ok I know its not a far walk but the student accomodation that's behind the old Opel garage has a fair few students, not one bus goes past there heading to college and I know if I was living there and it was raining I would like the option of being able to get a bus rather than get soaked.
If there was a better bus service for the college I am sure it would take some of the pressure off the parking situation.

Merrick

I kept out of this parking disaster for a while, because I live 20mins walk away from the college and it doesn't really affect me, but I'll agree with the bus thing too. Buses aren't the worst if you're on the town route, or going to Dublin/Drogheda (buses leave for Dub right outside the college every hour), but they do take strange paths around the back roads of some estates, while missing out completely on other huge areas of the town.
The timing isn't great either, I've been late for classes more than once because I was expecting a bus to come at a certain time, instead it came idling along 15mins later, in that time I could almost have walked myself there.

Atomic Pineapple

the only option i have would be to organise a lift to a cross every morning where i'd have to get a val russell bus, now i travelled on a val russell bus when i came to college first and i said i never would again, paying 40euro to put up with that week in week out is bad enough too but i'd still have to rely on gettinf a lift to the cross anyway (the cross would be about a 20min walk)

smemon

MDTyKe wrote: »

I wrote an article for the DKITimes about the mess.. will be interesting if it comes up!

Matt

yeah, it made it in all right

you're quite right about the clamping release fee's.. €60, €90, €100 - what is it? :rolleyes:

does anyone actually know what the hell is going on at the minute? we've got 2 emails saying it's been delayed until further notice and that's it...

some updates would be nice, even if there's nothing happening - tell us that.

the signs all around the car parks say pay parking is effective from Oct1 - why not blank them out or cover them up with updated notices??

when it does come in, there better be plenty of notice/communication as i can see people coming in as usual, not getting a ticket and coming back to fines.

Atomic Pineapple

yeh i seen the letter in the dkit times too, very good points in it, its a shame they didn't put it to someone in the college thats involved with the issue to see if they could answer some of the questions raised.

MDTyKe

They should clamp those two AIB smart cars that park (Illegally) on the Pedestrian path outside the Restauraunt. Dont know how they get away with it - its pedestrian only!

I dont want to trip over a smart car if I'm running away from a fire now, do I...


Matt

That_Guy

I agree with the smart car comment. Just because they're small doesn't mean they're any less in the way.

Evd-Burner

A good way of doing things could be for the college to split up the car park spaces... have it so that u have to get a permit for parking, where u can park depends how many people u take with u in ur car... Would help situation with parking becuase people could take turns in driving in...