Car parks and flooding in Salthill

Thargor

http://www.broadsheet.ie/2016/01/26/salt-lake/

This used to be a once every 2-3 years occurrence but it happens every weather event now, another dozen or so write offs to drive all our insurance premiums ever higher, you cant blame the tourists or foreigners living here because it does look like somewhere that doesn't flood (even with the large amount of sand and seaweed in there), its the councils fault for not blocking it off when they know any yellow or orange event is going to do it, it should at least be signposted properly.

_Whimsical_

I have to agree. It's all well and good bashing people who park there during weather events for being stupid enough to have done so or for not heeding warnings etc but the reality is everyone with a car insurance policy is paying for this.It really can't go on so regularly. Something needs to be done.

schemingbohemia

Is it not the case that a lot of people deliberately leave their cars there when they know there's a weather event occurring? That's what I heard anyway.

TerrorFirmer

Up to 20 cars written off.

what_traffic

Video of the flooding here http://connachttribune.ie/residents-outraged-as-up-to-20-cars-written-off-in-toft-carpark-flood-602/

Time to close the Toft car park and access road and extend the seaside park to the Aquarium. Provide residents only parking near the apartments using the access road behind Seapoint.

what_traffic

Video covered in the Irish Times today as well
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/heavy-rain-and-winds-lead-to-power-cuts-road-closures-1.2510750

Diabhal Beag

Ban the sea imo.

biko

Is there even a sign?

"Car park prone to flooding. Do not park here if risk of heavy rain!" or similar.

XR3i

never turn your back to the sea

Mrs OBumble

biko wrote: »

Is there even a sign?

"Car park prone to flooding. Do not park here if risk of heavy rain!" or similar.

Yes! We've seen pictures of it in earlier threads, I'm sure.

what_traffic

biko wrote: »

Is there even a sign?

"Car park prone to flooding. Do not park here if risk of heavy rain!" or similar.

There is, shows a photo of car park flooded and cars flooded as well, but it is not a "Real Time Information" Sign that can now be seen on some of the approach roads in the City.

Are the car owners covered by Insurance if they have parked in a place that is known to flood I wonder?

FluffyMcCardy

I guess those people never read or watch the weather forecast. Heavy rain and high winds were well flagged up and frankly that carpark is probably the most famous in Ireland for flooding with multiple videos and photos on the net and a regular slot on RTE news. There's even a big sign on the gate saying 'prone to flooding'.

What more warning do they need? If they're really local residents then they can hardly be surprised.

XR3i

i drove through salthill this evening, seaweed and rocks on the road

long live galway

XR3i

i drove through salthill this evening, seaweed and rocks on the road

long live galway

Atlantic Dawn

It has to be insurance fraud, nobody could be that fooking thick to leave a car there with the warnings in place. I hope for the rest of us they don't get one cent for their claims.

what_traffic

http://www.irishexaminer.com/examviral/real-life/heartache-for-car-owners-as-salthill-car-park-floods-378264.html

Robbo

Have we tried having Padraig Conneely photographed next to it, looking stern?

Zzippy

Robbo wrote: »

Have we tried having Padraig Conneely photographed next to it, looking stern?

No, Really Screams has dibs on flooding, he gets dibs on parking issues.

Paddyfield

The problem is that this car park is on reclaimed land and is lower than the Promenade road. All you need is a high tide, a south westerly or southerly wind and gale force conditions.

Czhornet

Paddyfield wrote: »

The problem is that this car park is on reclaimed land and is lower than the Promenade road. All you need is a high tide, a south westerly or southerly wind and gale force conditions.

And seaweed blown in from the sea to cover the gully's. This stops the water from draining away and is the biggest cause of the flooding.

Victor

Thargor wrote: »

This used to be a once every 2-3 years occurrence but it happens every weather event now

Welcome to car-induced global warming.

c_man

I don't know how anyone could miss the big bloody sign of the partially submerged car on the way into it! Used to live nearby and often saw people parking there when there were clear weather warnings of what to expect... That being said, it seems that people just won't heed any of this so maybe it's time to save them from themselves. Not sure where additional parking to take up the slack could come from though.

what_traffic

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/cars-stranded-as-storm-erik-hits-galway-1.3786781

Feb 8, 2019 Cars have been left stranded in flood water after Storm Erik made its presence felt in Salthill, Co Galway. Video: Joe O'Shaughnessy

schemingbohemia

Wonder how many were driven down there specifically by news of the storm???

zell12

Do insurance companies pay out?

Yourmama

Most of these cars are old, very little value and impossible to sell. I can bet they were left there deliberately to get insurance payout.

Faze11

Unlikely there for insurance claim given the increase in premium after claim. Doesn't make sense.

T-Maxx

Yourmama wrote:

Most of these cars are old, very little value and impossible to sell. I can bet they were left there deliberately to get insurance payout.

It's obvious you don't know how car insurance work.

Yourmama

T-Maxx wrote:

It's obvious you don't know how car insurance work.

Enlighten me

c_man

c_man wrote: »

I don't know how anyone could miss the big bloody sign of the partially submerged car on the way into it! Used to live nearby and often saw people parking there when there were clear weather warnings of what to expect... That being said, it seems that people just won't heed any of this so maybe it's time to save them from themselves. Not sure where additional parking to take up the slack could come from though.

I know this is a three year old post but a lot of people can be oblivious to weather warnings.
If you don't consume much Irish media you could easily miss it.

ben.schlomo

Deleted User wrote: »

c_man wrote: »

I don't know how anyone could miss the big bloody sign of the partially submerged car on the way into it! Used to live nearby and often saw people parking there when there were clear weather warnings of what to expect... That being said, it seems that people just won't heed any of this so maybe it's time to save them from themselves. Not sure where additional parking to take up the slack could come from though.

I know this is a three year old post but a lot of people can be oblivious to weather warnings.
If you don't consume much Irish media you could easily miss it.

Theres no helping some people sure and this is what happens.

bobbyss

Czhornet wrote:

And seaweed blown in from the sea to cover the gully's. This stops the water from draining away and is the biggest cause of the flooding.

If that's the case, it's a very fixable problem. Have council on the job clearing same.

beardybrewer

Here's a question, is there a city council web page or an app to check? Let's enlighten those who don't know rather than jump to the conclusion it must be insurance fraud which gets brought up every. damned. time.

You see, a lot of people live their lives and don't pay attention to politics. Nothing wrong with that. Others live their lives and don't worry about the news or weather. Deal with it, they exist and there's more of them than you. Galway is multicultural which few would argue is a bad thing (well, if people were to argue about it I could see that happening here). Point being a good chunk of the city doesn't know about boards.ie or met eireann and might come from a competent city more likely to block roads or make it obvious.

So is there a simple place to check to find out if it's safe to leave your car there overnight?

zell12

beardybrewer wrote: »

...
So is there a simple place to check to find out if it's safe to leave your car there overnight?

Yes
95.8 FM, social media, galwaycity.ie, common sense, signage etc etc

Yet
https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/watch-mini-car-takes-on-storm-eleanor-as-it-drives-through-crashing-waves-on-flooded-salthill-promenade-36454063.html

beardybrewer

Not helpful.

Not everyone listens to Galway Bay FM. I'm on facebook and didn't see anything about it. Blackrock's last post was about the barista bus and this is galway didn't have anything about it until after. Which page specifically should they follow? Is there a url to galwaycity.ie that directly says when to avoid parking in salthill?

Imagine you want to leave your car overnight tonight. Can I open an app, url, or facebook page and know it's safe in < 30 seconds? If so then share the details, it would be genuinely helpful.

Or go pout.

flazio

Are you expecting someone to tow all the cars out of there and store them somewhere else for free before the storm hits?

beardybrewer

beardybrewer wrote: »

Not helpful.

Not everyone listens to Galway Bay FM. I'm on facebook and didn't see anything about it. Blackrock's last post was about the barista bus and this is galway didn't have anything about it until after. Which page specifically should they follow? Is there a url to galwaycity.ie that directly says when to avoid parking in salthill?

Imagine you want to leave your car overnight tonight. Can I open an app, url, or facebook page and know it's safe in < 30 seconds? If so then share the details, it would be genuinely helpful.

Or go pout.

VMS signage in that car park plus a lockable entry barrier plus one-way only tyre poppers on the exit.

A lot of expense to go to for a free car park though and still won't eliminate against idiots but should mitigate against a large volume of then

Mrs OBumble

beardybrewer wrote: »

Not helpful.

Not everyone listens to Galway Bay FM. I'm on facebook and didn't see anything about it.
Imagine you want to leave your car overnight tonight. Can I open an app, url, or facebook page and know it's safe in < 30 seconds? If so then share the details, it would be genuinely helpful.

Just look at the weather warnings that Met Eireann issue, which are shared by pretty much every media outlet.

I hardly ever listen to the radio, and don't even have a TV. But I still manage to hear about them every time by being subscribed to splatter of Facebook pages and looking at the news on the home page of my phone's browser.

Deleted User

Deleted User wrote: »

I know this is a three year old post but a lot of people can be oblivious to weather warnings.
If you don't consume much Irish media you could easily miss it.

Maybe they should start “consuming” Irish media if they want to know what’s happening around the city.

Also the term “consuming” media should be illegal.

biko

Tbh, if I lived there or had reason to park there I'd make damn sure there wasn't flood risk.
Every person in Galway knows Salthill floods this time of year.

afkasurfjunkie

beardybrewer wrote: »

Not helpful.

Not everyone listens to Galway Bay FM. I'm on facebook and didn't see anything about it. Blackrock's last post was about the barista bus and this is galway didn't have anything about it until after. Which page specifically should they follow? Is there a url to galwaycity.ie that directly says when to avoid parking in salthill?

Imagine you want to leave your car overnight tonight. Can I open an app, url, or facebook page and know it's safe in < 30 seconds? If so then share the details, it would be genuinely helpful.

Or go pout.

What do you think people did before social media and the internet? Look up at the sky and out to the sea. Wind, big black clouds and choppy waters and waves topping the sea wall. Hmmm, maybe I shouldn’t park my car here overnight.

ben.schlomo

beardybrewer wrote: »

Not helpful.

Not everyone listens to Galway Bay FM. I'm on facebook and didn't see anything about it. Blackrock's last post was about the barista bus and this is galway didn't have anything about it until after. Which page specifically should they follow? Is there a url to galwaycity.ie that directly says when to avoid parking in salthill?

Imagine you want to leave your car overnight tonight. Can I open an app, url, or facebook page and know it's safe in < 30 seconds? If so then share the details, it would be genuinely helpful.

Or go pout.

As I said you just can't help some people, if they don't make any effort to know what's going on around them then they have no right to complain.

beardybrewer

I just think it's interesting that nobody could offer a specific social media page or account, or provide a url to either the city council or the met website, or any other concrete way of checking other than sticking your head out the window.

And I also love how riled up everyone gets even though what we have is obviously inadequate.

ben.schlomo

beardybrewer wrote: »

I just think it's interesting that nobody could offer a specific social media page or account, or provide a url to either the city council or the met website, or any other concrete way of checking other than sticking your head out the window.

And I also love how riled up everyone gets even though what we have is obviously inadequate.

You don't how to use the Met Eireann app? If people don't know how to use that or don't 'consume' media then what are the chances they'll look for a warning on a city council page, nonsense, of the highest order. Don't think anyone getting riled up, just pointing out the multitude of ways you have of finding out how not to do something idiotic. Have you a vested interest in one the vehicles I wonder.

ben.schlomo

https://www.galwaydaily.com/news/road-crews-on-standby-for-flooding-ahead-of-storm-erik/?fbclid=IwAR1BrAD6NkK4AfqfUvRB69AV4W2h0ekLxtsD3e-Gdz3frkiy3snhQXomK5I

https://connachttribune.ie/storm-erik-to-bring-flooding-and-damaging-gusts-777/?fbclid=IwAR20U-HRuyFKFLrTDyt-PDGNo10511kKa_bDtzBTHJ8GjDNdhXoau1QJQbk

https://m.facebook.com/GalwayCityCouncil/

Multiple links highlighting the storm, helpful for the permanently incapable.

beardybrewer

beardybrewer wrote: »

I just think it's interesting that nobody could offer a specific social media page or account, or provide a url to either the city council or the met website, or any other concrete way of checking other than sticking your head out the window.

And I also love how riled up everyone gets even though what we have is obviously inadequate.

It was all over the tv and radio and the news websites like RTe (and the local news paper websites etc) the day before that a storm was coming and Galway was going to be one of the worst hit. If a person can’t conclude from that that parking in a car park probe to flooding during these events isn’t a good idea then I’m not sure they should be driving in the first place.

beardybrewer

ben.schlomo wrote: »

https://m.facebook.com/GalwayCityCouncil/

The one helpful thing posted thus far is following the GGC fb page. Was that so hard? They used to have a SMS service that suddenly stopped. Was that defunded?

Someone mentioned the met eireann app, is that the one by FUSIO? Sounds dodgy af, it doesn't sound official. Still if it sent a notification in advance that would be useful.

More and more people don't follow local radio or tv. When the local news and council are a joke and the official apps don't look legit you're asking for trouble. In this day and age it's not hard to have a static link such as: http://galwaycity.ie/floodstatus

The fact is people keep getting caught out proves the inadequacy in the system. The point I'm making is you all are nothing but useless finger waggers who assume it's just an insurance fraud or a dumbass rather than try to help.

ben.schlomo

beardybrewer wrote: »

ben.schlomo wrote: »

https://m.facebook.com/GalwayCityCouncil/

The one helpful thing posted thus far is following the GGC fb page. Was that so hard? They used to have a SMS service that suddenly stopped. Was that defunded?

Someone mentioned the met eireann app, is that the one by FUSIO? Sounds dodgy af, it doesn't sound official. Still if it sent a notification in advance that would be useful.

More and more people don't follow local radio or tv. When the local news and council are a joke and the official apps don't look legit you're asking for trouble. In this day and age it's not hard to have a static link such as: http://galwaycity.ie/floodstatus

The fact is people keep getting caught out and the point I'm making is you all are nothing but useless finger waggers who assume it's just an insurance fraud or a dumbass rather than try and help people.

Now now, don't be getting riled up. There's tons of help/notifications there for people, I think you're missing the point that you can't help everyone.

If it bothers you that much then maybe help them yourself by making a sign and standing at the carpark before the weather hits, therefore they'll be having missed the news, weather, social media, newspapers, official weather apps and word of mouth.

Colonel Claptrap

biko wrote: »

Is there even a sign?

"Car park prone to flooding. Do not park here if risk of heavy rain!" or similar.

I can imagine that sign going 'missing' and a couple of lawsuits against the council for not giving adequate warning.

flazio

Using one of those electronic flashing signs might be an idea. Hard to miss and hard to steal.

schemingbohemia

beardybrewer wrote: »

The one helpful thing posted thus far is following the GGC fb page. Was that so hard? They used to have a SMS service that suddenly stopped. Was that defunded?

Someone mentioned the met eireann app, is that the one by FUSIO? Sounds dodgy af, it doesn't sound official. Still if it sent a notification in advance that would be useful.

More and more people don't follow local radio or tv. When the local news and council are a joke and the official apps don't look legit you're asking for trouble. In this day and age it's not hard to have a static link such as: http://galwaycity.ie/floodstatus

The fact is people keep getting caught out proves the inadequacy in the system. The point I'm making is you all are nothing but useless finger waggers who assume it's just an insurance fraud or a dumbass rather than try to help.

Can you give us an example of a system that works the way you seem to want it to work?
Where someone has to do nothing at all to receive the information that a specific car park or area is liable to flooding.
So some sort of obligatory push notification to a phone?
How would GDPR work with that? What if a phone was sold/lost?
You can't force people to learn/be interested in the world outside or even look out the window.