Motorists going through hell - parking at a church

snubbleste

Motorists attending a novena in Galway say they have been going through hell
The City Council has now moved to halt illegal parking on roads in the vicinity of the cathedral and traffic wardens have been issuing fines.
This has infuriated those attending the novena, with many claiming that they have nowhere else to park, given the huge numbers flocking to the sessions.

Wow, way to sensationalise a story. About time the City Council started to fulfill their obligation to enforce pedestrian safety, movement and right of way on the footpath. I notice that none of these law-breaking church attendees park on the road and restrict or obstruct it. There is plenty of parking spaces in Galway, unfortunately a payment must be made for some, plus the Cathedral is located on a number of bus routes. No excuse!

Sponge Bob

It is free to park up there after about 6:30pm ( and before 8:30 am) is it not??

snubbleste

I think you're referring to the Council car park adjacent to the Cathedral? This is usually full most days anyway, so when people attending the Novena come along they park where they like - on the grass, double yellows, junctions, blocking footpaths etc., causing problems mainly for pedestrians getting from A to B, forcing them on to the road. I think the article means footpath parking when referring to parking on roads in the area.

Columc

Thank god for that. I alwyas find it hilarious that people attedning the Novena think they can get away with parking their cars anywere, and causing mayham on the roads.

"I park on a double yellow line, but its for a good reason"

Das Kitty

Going through hell...

Hyperbole much?

There is plenty of other paid parking within walking distance of the cathedral. If they want to park close by they should get there early and not be whinging about having to obey the parking laws.

Robbo

It's about time they did away with the €40 Fine (or Decade of the Rosary equivalent) option on the parking tickets.

Madame Razz

They should have a park and ride in place for the Novena. It would solve the parking problem, but also reduce the high numbers of petrified grannies in their micras who are a road hazard.

McTigs

Madame Razz wrote: »

They should have a park and ride in place for the Novena. It would solve the parking problem, but also reduce the high numbers of petrified grannies in their micras who are a road hazard.

i liked your point until you felt the need to have a go at grannies and their little cars.

Micra not good enough for you no? :rolleyes:

snubbleste

There is a clear need for the erection of a temporary barrier to protect vulnerable innocent pedestrians from these wayward anti-social lawbreakers. :cool:

Bosco boy

They should organise a MASS protest!

biko

They should move the cathedral to a field somewhere and put more parking places where it is now.

kellsum

Clearly the pedestrians should be considered and as long as the cars are not causing any obstructions so that the emerengcy services can get through I don't see any problem.
But the majority of church goers are the elderly and my thoughts are that there is no parking any where near the Cathederal that would facilitate the oldies for the two weeks while this novena goes on and they should be excempt.
Perhaps the council should have considered opening up Fisheries Field as a temporary parking measure.

Madame Razz

McTigs wrote: »

i liked your point until you felt the need to have a go at grannies and their little cars.

Micra not good enough for you no? :rolleyes:

At least I know how to drive:)

kellsum

kellsum wrote: »

Clearly the pedestrians should be considered and as long as the cars are not causing any obstructions so that the emerengcy services can get through I don't see any problem.
But the majority of church goers are the elderly and my thoughts are that there is no parking any where near the Cathederal that would facilitate the oldies for the two weeks while this novena goes on and they should be excempt.
Perhaps the council should have considered opening up Fisheries Field as a temporary parking measure.

Why should anyone be allowed break the law for a couple of weeks to suit them?

There was an article in the Sentinel about the novena - the headline was something along the lines of "Young and old flock to the novena" There were four or five pictures attached and the youngest person looked to be well into their forties.

Who owns fisheries field - is it the university, the city or someone else?

foxy_19-89

I was forced (well) on to the road at fisheries field until just before the salmon weir yesterday.

Whats the difference between the novena crowd and students parking there, its shocking, park and ride or something should be available for them. If they park illegally, punish them, isnt that the law?

But im sure no one wants to say anything incase a vote goes downt he drain

johnnyk66

The church makes a fortune every year from this 'mass' mayhem, they should have the decency to fund a park & ride service for the duration of the novena

Bosco boy

johnnyk66 wrote: »

The church makes a fortune every year from this 'mass' mayhem, they should have the decency to fund a park & ride service for the duration of the novena

I agree, they could do the park and ride from St marys college, it's close by and is church property!

McTigs

Madame Razz wrote: »

At least I know how to drive:)

busted

swe_fi

You could have drive-in Novena (Like Drive-in cinema or just McDonalds type drive-in) or build an underground car park under the cathedral.

MajorMax

McTigs wrote: »

i liked your point until you felt the need to have a go at grannies and their little cars.

Micra not good enough for you no? :rolleyes:

My elderly mother lives in Galway and I'll have you know she has replaced her Nissan Micra with a Toyota Yaris (True story)
Get your facts right!!!

?Cee?view

swe_fi wrote: »

You could have drive-in Novena (Like Drive-in cinema or just McDonalds type drive-in) or build an underground car park under the cathedral.

Novena App?

Fozzie Bear

My observations on this, myself and my missus walk by the Cathedral every evening on our daily walk. The parking while a bit OTT in places is not completely blocking the footpath or roadway for that matter from what I saw. We can easily walk past using the footpath and if we meet someone coming the other way its just a matter of stepping to one side for a second until they pass. Traffic can pass both ways on the road its just a matter of taking your time. The actual jams come before hand when people are heading to the Cathedral and traffic is backed up from there out to the magic round about at Tesco. We are usually quicker walking this as I have timed it against a particular car on a few evenings. Also at the end of Mass when several thousand people pour out of the Cathedral and head for their cars which causes mayhem for an hour until it clears up again.

A few well placed Gardai directing traffic would sort it all out in my opinion. As for ticketing illegally parked vehicles well a large contingent of the Novena crowd are travellers. Good luck with getting them to pay;)

Zzippy

Deleted User wrote: »

Why should anyone be allowed break the law for a couple of weeks to suit them?

There was an article in the Sentinel about the novena - the headline was something along the lines of "Young and old flock to the novena" There were four or five pictures attached and the youngest person looked to be well into their forties.

Who owns fisheries field - is it the university, the city or someone else?

Fisheries field is owned by NUIG.
Yesterday I saw a car being parked across the exit from Fisheries Field (there are 2 parallel lanes), completely blocking one, just as a car was coming down the lane to come out. The old dear didn't give a sh1t, just hopped out of the car and across to the cathedral, leaving the car trying to exit to reverse all the way up the lane and go over to the other one to get out. Not a garda to be seen anywhere... :rolleyes:

Madame Razz

These 'God' loving folk really need to realise that going praying does not give you the right to abandon your car where you please. I can remember witnessing an altercation between a man and a clamper(back in the days when they clamped) who got so riled up by the fact that he was clamped that the guards had to be called. He didn't even have a ticket on his car, despite being in a clearly marked pay and display area, and he thought that that should be ok because he was at the Novena???

It's God delusion at it's best:p

While I dont condone illegal parking, some of the posts on here are a tiny bit OTT and I doubt many of the oldies will be on boards, so I'll have a go at defending them!
It is only nine days, not two weeks.
We have a new Garda Traffic Corps; could they not try to build up a bit of goodwill by helping traffic flow at the busiest times?
The Cathedral could I'm sure have volunteers helping with parking, especially in order to avoid genuinely reckless or dangerous parking.
Bad driving is the rule, not the exception in Galway, anyway. Check out those yellow boxes by the Salmon Weir Bridge or any roundabout any day.
There seems to be a dearth of threads on the absolutely enormous amount of law-breaking that occurs any evening in Galway. Public Intoxication, antisocial behaviour, littering are all illegal (and I have been guilty of all of them, though never arrested for any of them). Sure its just young people having a laugh.
Anyway, all I'm saying is that a bit more tolerance mightn't go astray.

snubbleste

The Garda are fully aware of the event and they send out people to direct traffic after each mass. The authorities are aware parking is an issue every single year at this event and that navigation is compromised as a result of illicit behaviour, yet until 2011 did nothing about it.

This is a heavily used throughfare with a large footfall linking the university/western suburbs to the centre, adjacent to one of only four bridges spanning the corrib and is a national route(N59).

In the past when people complained about illicit parking in the area, the response you got was nonchalant or a classic shoulder shrug. There is no excuse for parking on the footpath, otherwise the Council/Garda need to say the footpath is closed and create a safe diversion for pedestrian traffic as they are obliged to do.

Discodog

Why does it have to be a Solemn Novena - why can't we have a happy one ?. Almighty traffic jam at midday today - so annoying when one takes the wrong route having forgotten about the Novena.

Maybe I should stop & buy some of those exquisite souvenirs being sold from the vans

Madame Razz

Discodog wrote: »

Maybe I should stop & buy some of those exquisite souvenirs being sold from the vans

You could stockpile them and use them as Christmas presents, your friends and family would be thrilled:p

Discodog

Madame Razz wrote: »

You could stockpile them and use them as Christmas presents, your friends and family would be thrilled:p

Gosh can you imagine if a relative gave you one as a very sincere present :eek:

I once bought a wonderful souvenir from a shrine in France - a nodding head Sheep !.

ben.schlomo

Deleted User wrote: »

Why should anyone be allowed break the law for a couple of weeks to suit them?

There was an article in the Sentinel about the novena - the headline was something along the lines of "Young and old flock to the novena" There were four or five pictures attached and the youngest person looked to be well into their forties.

Who owns fisheries field - is it the university, the city or someone else?

I had to look twice at those Sentinel pics alright to look for the so called 'young' people, still haven't seen one.

Discodog

Young ?. It was more like Shaun of the Dead today !.

big b

Fozzie Bear wrote: »

My observations on this, myself and my missus walk by the Cathedral every evening on our daily walk. The parking while a bit OTT in places is not completely blocking the footpath or roadway for that matter from what I saw. We can easily walk past using the footpath and if we meet someone coming the other way its just a matter of stepping to one side for a second until they pass.

Just curious, what about wheelchair users, possibly coming in both directions.

Would they need divine intervention?

TheCosmicFrog

Last year I was so sick of having to walk on the road last year due to cars parking on the footpaths that I plucked up the courage and approached two Gardaí working at the Novena. I said something along the lines of, "How is this allowed to happen year-in-year-out? People parking on the footpaths and endangering pedestrians just because they believe a certain religion. This is completely illegal."

Both Gardaí looked at each other and cracked a smile. Then one of them turned to me and said, "Sure, where else do you expect them to park?"

The law enforcers of Galway.

c_man

Deleted User wrote: »

There was an article in the Sentinel about the novena - the headline was something along the lines of "Young and old flock to the novena"

The local rags pump out that exact same article every Novena for the past twenty years.


The parking is atrocious. I wouldn't mind as much if it was one day, but it's for two bloody weeks. We'll set the Rag Week first years on them.

Caliden

Those mass goers are the real troublemakers around this time of year.
It's not a coincidence that they have it the same time as RAG week, it's so they can blame all the trouble on the students and nobody is any wiser.

WallyGUFC

I've always wondered what's so attractive about the Novena? I mean it's just mass 8 times a day for 9 days yeah? Tour buses bringing people to it like. It's only mass!

celty

If those motorists didn't go to Church, then they wouldn't have to "go through hell".

There are two 'types' who think they are immune from parking regulations, Novena goers and GAA fans.

And the Gardai must be either at the Masses or watching the matches, or both.

Imagine if hundreds of young clubbers tried the same thing. Or Muslims. They'd hardly be left to park on the footpaths for hours.

Iwannahurl

TheCosmicFrog wrote: »

Last year I was so sick of having to walk on the road last year due to cars parking on the footpaths that I plucked up the courage and approached two Gardaí working at the Novena. I said something along the lines of, "How is this allowed to happen year-in-year-out? People parking on the footpaths and endangering pedestrians just because they believe a certain religion. This is completely illegal."

Both Gardaí looked at each other and cracked a smile. Then one of them turned to me and said, "Sure, where else do you expect them to park?"

The law enforcers of Galway.

Classic. They're lazy, useless, irresponsible and do not give a toss. And they're at the same obnoxious parking themselves every day of the week.

Iwannahurl

celty wrote: »

If those motorists didn't go to Church, then they wouldn't have to "go through hell".

There are two 'types' who think they are immune from parking regulations, Novena goers and GAA fans.

And the Gardai must be either at the Masses or watching the matches, or both.

Imagine if hundreds of young clubbers tried the same thing. Or Muslims. They'd hardly be left to park on the footpaths for hours.

Lots of people think they're immune. And in a way they are right, because they are let away with it constantly. AGS members illegally parking their private cars another category that's immune, from themselves and local authority wardens.

Discodog

Drive through Spiddal when the Court is sitting & see Garda cars parked on the pavement outside a school !.

celty

There was something in the City Tribune today about 60 of them getting tickets. Maybe the 'God Freaks' aren't immune from the rules the rest of us face after all. Guess it really is a 'solemn Novena' for them after all!

inisboffin

Speaking of religous people blocking traffic...:p
Did anyone see the (so called) 'Pro life' picket today outside the labour candidate's office on Prospect Hill. They were wielding banners like 'Labour supports abortion on demand'. They were standing HALF IN THE ROAD, a few of them with kids (who of course were frontline, thus 2 inches away from the cars)
I witnessed one woman's sign get blown away a bit, in an effort to catch it, she nudged a kid in front of a passing (albeit not fast) car that had to hiton the brakes. Heard sirens, cop car came by and drove by then. Evidently them on the road, not path was legal (who knows, maybe they had a permit or something, but shoving kids in front of cars is not very 'pro life of them:rolleyes:).

What was funny was they appeared to have some dissenting group infiltrate, a few younger folks with what appeared to be a rainbow (gay pride?) flag. They were shouting things like 'bring back the laundries' and 'keep women in their place', while grinning. The others weren't too amused. It was pretty funny to watch I confess!:p

Iwannahurl

Discodog wrote: »

Drive through Spiddal when the Court is sitting & see Garda cars parked on the pavement outside a school !.

Thanks for the tip-off. I will.

Any idea how I can find out dates of court sessions?

Some examples of AGS obnoxiously parking throughout this thread.

happyoutscan

Herself is just in the door, an hour late as her car was blocked in for an hour. She was pretty pissed off but the lad who had blocked her was extremely apologetic and embarrassed so she was at least grateful she didn't meet a holier than thou who was annoyed at being summoned from the pulpit!

Head The Wall

I would have called the cops and got the car lifted. Its called obstruction, these w*nkers need to learn about the effects of what their sinning does and repent through their wallets

Dan_Solo

I'm setting up a branch of The Last Church Of The Ineffable Beelzebub on Shop Street if anyone is stuck for parking on Saturdays.
What a crock of. Thought we know from Pearse Stadium that the GAA is magically immune from this too.

lmtduffy

inisboffin wrote: »

Speaking of religous people blocking traffic...:p
Did anyone see the (so called) 'Pro life' picket today outside the labour candidate's office on Prospect Hill. They were wielding banners like 'Labour supports abortion on demand'. They were standing HALF IN THE ROAD, a few of them with kids (who of course were frontline, thus 2 inches away from the cars)
I witnessed one woman's sign get blown away a bit, in an effort to catch it, she nudged a kid in front of a passing (albeit not fast) car that had to hiton the brakes. Heard sirens, cop car came by and drove by then. Evidently them on the road, not path was legal (who knows, maybe they had a permit or something, but shoving kids in front of cars is not very 'pro life of them:rolleyes:).

What was funny was they appeared to have some dissenting group infiltrate, a few younger folks with what appeared to be a rainbow (gay pride?) flag. They were shouting things like 'bring back the laundries' and 'keep women in their place', while grinning. The others weren't too amused. It was pretty funny to watch I confess!:p

It was indeed infiltrated, the protesters arrived to find an empty office with a note : "gone to novena, back soon" left in the window.

Will link to pictures when they are up.

It was a lot of fun. But I think everyone felt bad that they brought their kids along, the weather was pretty bad.

dloob

Anyone see the city tribune's letters page today.
It had a letter from an outraged holy joe.
Apparently the Gardai are anti church as well as anti GAA. :pac:
Yes the holy joe is also a GAA supporter previously outraged that his parking where he wanted during a match got a ticket and sure they always parked there, still sore over that and the responses his letter complaing about it got from a "vocal minority" it seems.

Apparently it's all an attack on the catholic church itself.
He is sure no other religious denomination would be subjected to such discrimination.
Yes it seems enforcing traffic laws is now discrimination.:rolleyes:

Hopefully he won't get clamped next week at the polling station when he abandons the car on the side of the road to vote for FF.

Sponge Bob

sure I wrote that for the crack :cool:

Robbo

I passed one of these coffin dodging goons this evening as he returned to his ticketed car on Nuns Island.

It was just past where you take the square right onto the Island.

He was parked on the left, on double yellows, on the path and obstructing an obvious gateway.

He was outraged and bemused.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Iwannahurl

Dan_Solo wrote: »

I'm setting up a branch of The Last Church Of The Ineffable Beelzebub on Shop Street if anyone is stuck for parking on Saturdays.
What a crock of. Thought we know from Pearse Stadium that the GAA is magically immune from this too.

You're on to something there. GAA-goers, godbotherers and Gardee traditionally exempt from respecting the law in this here Republic of Banana.

I recommend setting up your church and holding religious services as soon as possible. Then you can apply for one of these: