UCI Cinemas in Coolock - Parking is terrible :(

Vorophobe

Hi, sorry I didn't mean to come on here just to whinge, but I haven't found anyone mention this before anywhere online so I start

I've been to UCI cinemas in Coolock twice now, and twice after the cinemas emptied I've sat idling in my car for at least 20-25 minutes before the traffic painfully crept out enough for me to make my escape onto Malahide road.

It's a big car park, and only one small exit with lights that take forever to change, and when they do... they're only green for a few moments.

UCI cinemas also share this car park with Leisure Plex, another big business. Has it always been like this?

I don't know about anyone else, but it's really really putting me off ever going there again, they're great cinemas and the Leisure Plex looks fun, but the parking? It's a total deal-breaker.

admiralofthefleet

its been like that since it opened, i remember being in the uci the day it opened, it was around 1990/1. you could always park around the back at the church. leaving wont be a problem as you can go straight out onto the tonlegee road then

OLP

What way would you rather have it? If it annoys you so much get the bus.

SoupyNorman

Yeah its brutal, the exit road is also extremely narrow...in desperate need of an upgrade.

On the plus side, I use the time waiting effectively by dissecting the movie I've just seen with my significant other or whomever accompanied me to the picture house.


Terminator Salvation got an awful lambasting while waiting to get out of the car park.

admiralofthefleet

walk across the road and have a pint in kyles while your waiting, the pint is lovely

A-Train

I use to work in Burger King in the carpark so I have seen my fair share of tail backs in the carpark. I remember around Christmas 2004 it was taking over an hour and a half to get out!

But I think the real reason I was always told about not getting a new exit or upgrade for the existing entrance/exit was the usual thing of it would cost too much money and planning!

Davy

Sometimes the security guys used to open the ambulance gate to let the traffic go. The big deal that it was never a full time gate because your entering a dual carriageway but at night-time it would be grand.

Vorophobe

Guys thanks for your comments, I feel much better :P

WindSock

Yeah I agree it's a load of crap. Not only that, but there is a higher risk getting your car broken into too. There is a gate at the other end of the carpark onto the Malahide Rd, I've never seen it open, might be just for deliveries though.

Swords cinema is far superior in many ways.

spurious

They should let cinema traffic out on to Tonlegee, not the Malahide Road.

SoupyNorman

spurious wrote: »

They should let cinema traffic out on to Tonlegee, not the Malahide Road.

Or both?

spurious

Yes or both, but the Tonlegee exit would always be the faster one to use as you can't have the Malahide Road backing up too much, certainly not as far as the roundabout. Bit of a 'fail to plan' situation all round.

WindSock

The Tonlegee road has a few sets of lights on it too, traffic would probably be not so great there either. Plus it's a residential area.

gurramok

Its that bad now OP?

I used to go there regularly about a year ago and it was about 15min getting out of there, it truly is awful. I prefer the Blanch UCI by a mile.

pinkypinky

I remember when it was built, it sat unused for months because they were reconsidering the planning (I was a child, so I didn't read much into it). There is a second exit out but it's almost never open. There is a health and safety risk which seems to be ignored. If there was a fire, people would just have to abandon their cars to get out.

markpb

pinkypinky wrote: »

If there was a fire, people would just have to abandon their cars to get out.

If there was a fire, you'd try to drive away? :boggle: Would you also get into a lift in a burning building?

WindSock

admiralofthefleet wrote: »

its been like that since it opened, i remember being in the uci the day it opened, it was around 1990/1. you could always park around the back at the church. leaving wont be a problem as you can go straight out onto the tonlegee road then

I remember when it first opened. We were all amazed at the idea of 10 sceens. Before, the closest one was in Fairview. My friend went to see Robin Hood : Prince of Thieves :pac:

admiralofthefleet

WindSock wrote: »

I remember when it first opened. We were all amazed at the idea of 10 sceens. Before, the closest one was in Fairview. My friend went to see Robin Hood : Prince of Thieves :pac:

i went to see cinderella:eek:, i just passed by there a few mins ago and it occured to me that people could park at the top of the springdale or in the estste the other side of the river, i didnt see any double yellow lines

hidinginthebush

SoupyNorman wrote: »

Yeah its brutal, the exit road is also extremely narrow...in desperate need of an upgrade.

On the plus side, I use the time waiting effectively by dissecting the movie I've just seen with my significant other or whomever accompanied me to the picture house.


Terminator Salvation got an awful lambasting while waiting to get out of the car park.

Haha very true my friend!

Red Sleeping Beauty

WindSock wrote: »

I remember when it first opened. We were all amazed at the idea of 10 sceens. Before, the closest one was in Fairview. My friend went to see Robin Hood : Prince of Thieves :pac:

Are you talking about the Tallaght UCI which opened Xmas '90 I think. Coolock was a few years later.

Masada

I agree OP, what a sh1te layout for a cinema, even if they adjusted the lights to stay green for a little longer it would greatly improve things. as it is you could be sitting there for an hour. the bump at the start of the slip road when you are leaving to too tall aswell, my car exhaust bumps it in the middle every time.

_blank_

WindSock wrote: »

There is a gate at the other end of the carpark onto the Malahide Rd, I've never seen it open, might be just for deliveries though.

It's for emergency access.

Deliveries for the businesses in there come in the very same entrance as everyone else.

pinkypinky wrote: »

There is a health and safety risk which seems to be ignored. If there was a fire, people would just have to abandon their cars to get out.

There is a bigger health and safety risk with opening the other entrance too though.

If that entrance was clogged up also, there'd be no way an ambulance or firebrigade would get in.

It's a bleedin' nightmare at Xmas time, when all the shoppers are in Power City, families are in the Plex and people in the cinema all want to leave at the same time.

I used to work in one of the businesses in there, and yeah, at Xmas I've seen people take up to two hours to get out of there.

View Profile

In fairness if UCI timed their films to end at different times then this problem wouldn't be too common.
Last time I was there 3 movies ended at the same time. Took feckin ages to get out!

In relation to the unused entrance directly on to the Malahide Road. Its no more dangerous having cars exiting there then the exit of Woodies/Halfords/McDonalds further up the Malahide Rd!!

Always empty when im there, i just hate that corner coming into the car park.

Davy

View Profile wrote: »

In relation to the unused entrance directly on to the Malahide Road. Its no more dangerous having cars exiting there then the exit of Woodies/Halfords/McDonalds further up the Malahide Rd!!

Sorry little off topic but i saw a car going out the junction onto the malahide road, but turned right! All i could do was beep but thankfully nothing was coming u at the time