No parking in Athlone

LizzyD

Thanks to Golden Island there is no where to park in town... All my housemates and co-workers have been put out of joint by this... and those stupid guys who go around taking your reg really annoy me. Everytime I drive into GI or Dunnes they ask me a million questions: Why are you here? Are you shopping? Are you working? Will you be finished in 3 hours? Are you a rep for Dunnes? Ahhhh its wrecking my head... I just want to go to work and go home in the evening with out hassle. And now that its getting darker earlier and there's some mad man out there....

Sorry, just that parking guy really annoyed me this morning...:mad: :mad: :mad:

mikemac

Meh, it's private property and it's provided for shoppers, not people working in town.

How is he stupid, he was only doing his job.

Occidental

In fairness to Tesco's, it is their car park and they've been a lot more generous than the town council have ever been.

It's been noticable over the last year how often the car park has been full, with people resorting to parking on kerbs and along the side of Burgess Park. Tesco's priority is providing parking for shoppers, not people who work or live in Athlone. While the spare capacity was there they don't seem to have had a problem. Now that the car park is struggling for space they've made a decision to protect their business. With the lack of free car parking in the town and the new shopping centre opening next month, you can hardly blame them.

LizzyD

They are also not providing parking for ppl working in the centre, except for tesco staff and even at that there is only limited parking for them. The town council really need to get their finger out. I don't mind paying for parking, if I could, but my hours mean that I'm in well after everyone else. I used to park in fair green but all the builders are there even tho they we asked to park in texas car park. not that i mid the builders are here, they have a job to do, but unless i get into town at 7.30 i wont get a space and that's 2 and a half hours before i start work... i dunno... it seems to be annoying anyone I've talked to so far, apart from you guys!

Occidental

It's not annoying me because it doesn't affect me. If it did, the first thing I'd be after would be some kind of paid or subsidised parking from my company. You mention the Texas car park. Have your company got some kind of a deal with them.

I'd imagine lots of people will resort to the area in front of KiwkFit, but I'd see that being stamped on pretty quickly if they do.

LizzyD

They're clamping people who park there already. Our company is fairly small but we were looking at making a deal with Dunnes I think, well i heard my manager saying that. I dunno... the councillors don't seem to know what's going on either. as far as i can tell from the papers last week they had no solution

BoB_BoT

Well personally I think it's about to get a lot crazier. When the construction is done, and all the various contractors gone, some parking spaces will free up. but once the new shopping center gets into gear, it's gonna be chaos. Not for parking, but for traffic.

Has anyone noticed, that even though they're digging up the road and roundabout at the Cresent, there's still no proper flow system. The center of town is gonna be crazy with trucks trying to get in to do deliveries, the usual delays at the bottle neck. What was suggested and what is need there is a one way system, but it's a bit late now for that with it due to open at the end of the month?

So while the parking spaces are there, will you be able to get in and out of them quickly?

In fairness, Golden Island have been pretty good with parking in recent years, remember the controversy over the paid parking? It's a business as far as I'm concerned, and they're not offering day parking, so it's to be expected, it's also 3hrs instead of 2hrs from Dunnes. It puts me out too, puts quite a few people out. But it was never there to facilitate businesses outside of it's center.

I'd see Texas making a bomb, if they introduced day parking in their car park. They'd practically have all spaces filled and reasonable income. It'd make lots of sense, may even boost business in that region. Well unless they're waiting for the town to get busy enough to charge high rates on parking over busy shopping periods.

Oh well, that's my rant :P

fluffytulip

Spot on Bob_bot.

Sick of athlone. It should have been made one way ages ago. I though that mardyke street is gonna be for pedrestrians? Shir anytime a lorry goes through the traffic has to stop to let it by the really narrow place.

Its gonna get so messy when that new shopping centre opens as far as i can see with people coming from all over tullamore/mgar/everywhere.

I dont really see golden island doing anything wrong in fairness you should not be parking there if your not going in there. Parking is for people using the centre.


And with dare i say it Christmas coming its going to be worse ohh yeah TOTAL CHAOS!!!! just my thoughts

LizzyD

One way and pedestrian streets should be in place by end of year!!! haha! Saw the plans in one of the local papers a few months ago of mardyke street, should be good... it isn't GI that i have the real problem with (although that hasn't stopped me from directing my anger at then) its just that there is no where for a lot of people to park. I'm not the most put out, but i know a lot of people who are really p offed with the situation... i'll pay for parking no worries, but where. we need something like dyke road in galway... that place is great!

Saint_Mel

It boils down to GI dont want people parking there and then
buggering off to the new shopping centre, which is fair enough.

Definate problem though with the workers parking places.
I think shops in GI were given a limited amount of parking stickers last week
which unfortunately isnt enough for the amount of staff working there.

LizzyD

At lunch today one of the girls pointed out that the front of the Athlone Advertiser ran with story that GI and council are meeting this week re parking... I think the council has a lot to answer for, it's not as if the shopping centre just mushroomed over night, they new the deadline yet they ahve nothing in place... perhaps I'm making a big deal out of nothing.... hmmmmmmm

porno

the carpark at texas currently charges the builders €2 a day to park there
not bad if u ask me
go in and ask one of the car park staff about it

LizzyD

tried parking there yesterday after lunch, no parking space... Cheers tho for letting me know... Mabe when the builders are gone I'll be able to get a space...

Occidental

The crescent roundabout is due to complete by start of December. Cornamaddy roundabout should be finished shortly(Is it two, or three months now lads?). Come November the town centre's going to be a scream. The council don't seem to believe that the roadworks or parking problems are anything to do with them.

Saint_Mel

Occidental wrote: »

Cornamaddy roundabout should be finished
shortly(Is it two, or three months now lads?).

Did anyone else get caught with the Cornamaddy roundabout when the
council closed off the exit and opened another without any notice?

Not sure when it happened but it caught me out on the way to work
yesterday ...

Milk & Honey

Why not get a bicycle?

LizzyD

Milk & Honey wrote: »

Why not get a bicycle?

You're funny!!! After 5 years of cycling around Dublin as a student I wanna drive... But seriously I'm over the issue at the moment, once it's nice enough to walk into work I don't mind... How and ever The Cresent looks a bit like Beirut at the mo!

BoB_BoT

was driving through it today to get to work (oddly enough I don't seem to be able to transport computers on a bike.... :P ) and finally got to see what this round about is going to look like. I know it's not finished yet, but all i'm going to say is holy f**k. It's gonna be bananas, I don't know what way it'll end up, but it looks like you'll have two junctions coming from the train station, again 2 coming from the entrance for the parking lot, it looks big enough for 2 lanes of traffic each side.... I wonder.. fun times ahead

whyulittle

BoB_BoT wrote: »

was driving through it today to get to work (oddly enough I don't seem to be able to transport computers on a bike.... :P ) and finally got to see what this round about is going to look like. I know it's not finished yet, but all i'm going to say is holy f**k. It's gonna be bananas, I don't know what way it'll end up, but it looks like you'll have two junctions coming from the train station, again 2 coming from the entrance for the parking lot, it looks big enough for 2 lanes of traffic each side.... I wonder.. fun times ahead

Plus traffic lights!!!

Is it just me or have GI not implemented their 3 hour rule yet? Was in there last week and all the ticket machines looked to be still under wraps.

Occidental

whyulittle wrote: »

Plus traffic lights!!!

Is it just me or have GI not implemented their 3 hour rule yet? Was in there last week and all the ticket machines looked to be still under wraps.

The ticket machines have been under wraps for the last five years and will continue to be so. The three hour rule does not require a ticket. It simply requires you to leave the carpark within three hours or get clamped.

On the good news front, Cornamaddy has changed around again this morning and looks as if it might actually be completed soon.

whyulittle

Occidental wrote: »

The ticket machines have been under wraps for the last five years and will continue to be so. The three hour rule does not require a ticket. It simply requires you to leave the carpark within three hours or get clamped.

So it's not strictly limited to three hours so, more just non all-day parking? seems a bit sketchy clamping someone's car without any proof of how long it's there.

Occidental

They've people walking around taking details. Dunnes are doing the same thing, though I think you only get two hours there.

Cornamaddy roundabout is fully open this morning, though still a lot of clearing up to do.

Saint_Mel

Occidental wrote: »

Cornamaddy roundabout is fully open this morning, though still a lot of clearing up to do.

Tempory traffic lights on it earlier but they were gone by 5pm

eoinhealy

LizzyD wrote: »

Thanks to Golden Island there is no where to park in town... All my housemates and co-workers have been put out of joint by this... and those stupid guys who go around taking your reg really annoy me. Everytime I drive into GI or Dunnes they ask me a million questions: Why are you here? Are you shopping? Are you working? Will you be finished in 3 hours? Are you a rep for Dunnes? Ahhhh its wrecking my head... I just want to go to work and go home in the evening with out hassle. And now that its getting darker earlier and there's some mad man out there....

Sorry, just that parking guy really annoyed me this morning...:mad: :mad: :mad:

He annoyed me too one day. If its the same guy from the council.

I was living in Shannon Weir at the time, first block down the lane way. I was in my kitchen on day and looked out the window to find the fec**r putting a ticket under the wiper of my car, for parking on the street. It was my parking space!! There were no double yellows, not even a single yellow.

I got so frustrated, I chased him for about 2 or 3 minutes up towards Connaught Street but he got in his car and did a legger. I went to the council offices and told them about the ticket and the car was not wrongly parked but all they could tell me was that if he gave me a ticket it was for a good reason. So I wrote in to them appealing the ticket. They wrote back about 2 weeks later with a letter saying that my appeal had been rejected, so I wrote again, and the next letter was another fine for not paying the original fine on time!!

What A JOKE!!

After a while I had the Garda Collections Officer calling at my door, I had to pay him or I would have to go to court. SO I just paid him because I was so p***ed off with the matter.

The funny thing was... there were 4 more cars parked along the same road and no-one else got a ticket.

eoinhealy

whyulittle wrote: »

So it's not strictly limited to three hours so, more just non all-day parking? seems a bit sketchy clamping someone's car without any proof of how long it's there.

If they clamped my car I would simply cut the clamp off! They have no legal right to tamper with my car. The only way they can put a clamp on your car is if the ticket machines were working. Because without them, there is no print-out to show what time you arrived at the car park, just the say-so of a guy walking around with a clipboard.

Brando_ie

Although I understand the purpose of the parking restrictions in GI is to protect their business's (and in fact I got a grilling from the centre manager about two months ago so was expecting it much earlier) I can see GI becoming somewhat of a ghost town once the new town centre opening.

For one the layout with the anchor store being right at the back of the mall (although Tesco do have permission for an alternative entrance nearer their entrance) is an aging model for the likes of Tesco (who seem to like the white box in a sea of cars now) and competes with the convenience of both Dunnes. Plus the fact that we Athlone folk do like our new shiny things and will flock to the new development like moths to a flame.

Ironically as I was parking in GI I made Tesco my main shopping place (even with the mall and having to walk past Dunnes partly out of a gratitude because I got to park there) but since I have been forced to park away from the centre we have switched to Dunnes (Montree.... a dream!!) even though I now park about 1/2 way between the two so it may be that this action in itself may lose them punters even before the centre kicks into action in a few days?

eoinhealy

Any idea what date the centre is opening?

whyulittle

November 1st.

eoinhealy

Cool, I'll have to pop in and see what it's like, but I will probably stick to shopping in GI, always guaranteed a parking space and all the shops you need, and eating places and cinema. With xtra-vision and cafes and other shops just across the road.

To be honest, I really don't see the need to a new town centre, they could have just expanded GI a little. I think what will happen is the new Town Centre will take allot of shoppers away from GI, businesses will loose customers and in turn will have to let go of some staff. It's hard to get a good paying job in Athlone as it is, and too many people already on the dole.

I reckon it will have hugh effects on traffic going through the town, we just do not have the infrastructure to support a centre of that size right in the middle of the town.

Occidental

eoinhealy wrote: »

I think what will happen is the new Town Centre will take allot of shoppers away from GI, businesses will loose customers and in turn will have to let go of some staff. It's hard to get a good paying job in Athlone as it is, and too many people already on the dole.

Which is roughly what Golden Island did to the old town centre 8 years ago.
I'm sure it'll sort itself out in time, with some shops closing and others opening(I hear Easons are on the move to the new centre). How they're going to manage the traffic and the parking will be the real revelation.

LizzyD

Anyone notice how most of the workers in ATC seem to be from Dublin... just saying... also, dear god if they (GI, town council, whoever) don't sort out the parking soon... well there'll be more bitching done, and maybe an angry letter to the editor!