Limerick City Parking

System

This discussion was created from comments split from: Limerick Businesses Opening.

Limsno1

The car park fees in the City centre are another deterrent. I was in last weekend to meet a friend for a coffee and spent over 2 hours in the centre and parking fee was over 8 euros. Free parking in crescent sc and the other out of town retail parks draws people away from city centre. The centre will start to get a reputation as only being good as a social night time centre as opposed to daytime shopping.

dunworth1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121900648#Comment_121900648

that was in a private car park if you had parked using on street parking it would only have cost you €2 (€1 per hour) which is by far the cheapest.

the council have no say of what a private car park operator charges

davo2001

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121911657#Comment_121911657

It's fairly hard to get any kind of on street parking in Limerick now unless you're in town early. I have the parking app and head into town the odd time but haven't bothered in a while, mainly because of the scumbags / beggars, lack of shops, the state of o connell street, cost of parking etc. There is just no draw for me anymore.

LeoD

Time to introduce a car parking space levy on shopping centres.

Cetyl Palmitate

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121900648#Comment_121900648

There are loads of streets with free parking from 5 on Friday to 8 on Monday mornings.

Of all the issues with the city center, a lack of cheap parking is not one of them.

dashoonage

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121900648#Comment_121900648

was that in a car park ? just checked my park magic app and i can get on street parking for 2 hours for €2.00

breezy1985

For longer stays you could also avail of the Crescents free parking and pay 1.35e each way on the bus to the city centre. It's served by 3 very frequent routes with close to 10 buses and hour. Can do similar from the Parkway.

rjoe90

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121913174#Comment_121913174

That involves way too much hassle and really the bigger issue that needs solving is parking in the city centre.

Cookiemunster

City center parking is not something that is going to increase anywhere. If anything I can see the number of on street parking spaces reducing further. The reduction of private cars using city centers is something that is happening all over Europe. Limerick is no different to anywhere else on this front.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121913196#Comment_121913196

Park and ride really isn't that much hassle. People do it in cities all the time. It's a really good trick if your heading to UHL too.

Parking will never be "solved" in the city centre so might as well get used to it. There won't be free parking and even if there was it would be taken up by the workers in whatever shop you are visiting long before you arrive.

Thomas St. yesterday I noticed that the 818 clothes shop that became an Aontu themed nail place is now a Tattoo parlour. I hadn't even noticed work been done but it's a much cleaner less tacky looking black now.

rjoe90

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121913232#Comment_121913232

Then we’ll need a top class public transport system which we most definitely do not have. We’d need frequent buses that actually arrive on time and a good park and ride system in multiple locations.

Cookiemunster

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121913377#Comment_121913377

BusConnects is to be implemented starting next year. 70% increase in services, longer realigned routes, 90 minutes fares.

Poxyshamrock

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121913196#Comment_121913196

Parking in the centre isn’t an issue. The issue (your issue) is that you either don’t want to pay too much for it or have to walk too far.

rjoe90

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121913475#Comment_121913475

It’s not “my issue”, a comment above stated they had to pay 8 quid for parking to meet a friend in town for a coffee. This will clearly encourage people to go to coffee shops outside the city for the free parking.

Vanquished

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121900648#Comment_121900648

The days of the local authority ramming as much traffic into and through the city centre are coming to an end. There aren't going to be any increases in traffic or parking capacity from now on. Conversely you're actually going to see a reduction in road capacity and on street parking spaces, in areas such as Arthur's quay, Rutland Street, the city quays etc. The state has climate change commitments to adhere to and the NTA previously conducted analysis and modelling to identify measures that could be implemented to help comply with these commitments. These include public transport improvements, reduction in parking spaces at public service workplaces and urban streets, reallocation of road space and low emissions zones.

Recommendations are to be brought to cabinet shortly to implement these strategies which will essentially force Limerick Council (kicking and screaming no doubt) to put these measures in place. It'll be in Limerick Council's best interests to get on with this as soon as the policy directives are published as they're simply not going to receive funding for badly needed and long overdue public realm projects in the city centre if they don't design them in accordance with departmental and NTA guidelines.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121912490#Comment_121912490

This is the biggest issue with City planning

Planner think "why is nobody using our City".

Joe Public answers

Everyone says "no thats not the reason".

We always hear lack of convenient parking, being a reason for people not going to the City. Just because you dont think its an issue, doesnt make it not an issue.

I have 2 young kids. How is a family to go into the city centre with buggies, changing bags etc. and then try to carry bags of "shopping" (clothes/food etc). You expect them to use park and ride??? This sums up the current "green mentality". Its out of touch. The basics of "good design" is Function before Form. If you make it difficult to get there, people wont go there. Thats why no business thinks its a good idea to invest in the City center.

So instead of telling people they are wrong, maybe we should ACTUALLY LISTEN to why people dont use the City.

Poxyshamrock

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121918853#Comment_121918853

Unfortunately city planners are not responsible for a lot of things that happen in the city. Active Travel is made up mostly of engineers and are of all the bike lanes etc. The O’Connell Street project was a part 8 application as are many other projects in and around the city.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121918884#Comment_121918884

Granted. My comment may be "simplistic" but it highlights the fact that there is zero symmetry when it comes to planning Cities in Ireland.

breezy1985

How is the parking in the Crescent more convenient ?

One end of the Crescent to the other is just as much walking as the city centre especially when the car park is busy and you are way down the back.

Free parking.

More space and child friendly when trying to watch two small kids while packing or unpacking the car.

Indoor parking so kids dontbget wet walking from car park to shops.

Trollies close to use.

No fear of drunks damaging your car while its parked.

No fear of drunks asking you for money while you are getting your kids in or out of the car.

Thats a few ways its way way way more convenient.

Did i mention its free?

rjoe90

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121918853#Comment_121918853

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121918853#Comment_121918853

Agree 100%. Some of the comments are laughable “well parking in the city isn’t an issue for me”, this doesn’t mean it isn’t an issue for the majority of people who use it. They need to either invest in good park and ride systems or else more convenient/cheap parking.

Vanquished

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121919382#Comment_121919382

So you think all these features should be replicated in the city centre? Do you even understand what a city centre is? It's certainly not a sterile covered shopping mall so if you're worried about getting wet in there, amongst all the other hyperbolic sensationalist fears then maybe an outdoor street based retail and hospitality experience isn't for you.

Limerick city centre has a lot of legacy issues which have significantly impacted its wellbeing and performance. A low residential population, dereliction/vacancy, poor public realm/street design, lack of facilities, amenities and public spaces along with the prioritisation of traffic over people being chief among them.

One area it is most certainly not lacking in though is the availability of car parking. There are 9,000 parking spaces in the city centre, 4,000 on street and 5,000 in private car parks. You can park for 50c per 30 mins on the street so this incessant nonsensical ignorant 'outrage' over a supposed lack of parking needs to be called out for the utter bulls*** that it is.

The solid facts are that Limerick city centre has provided unrestricted access to vehicles for decades and decades yet the fortunes of the city centre have only being deteriorating over that period. More parking and more traffic is not going to save the city centre. It's actually going to damage it further. The reason the city centre looks so shabby and generally ugly is because the vast majority of streets are designed to accommodate cars rather than people. Most of the space is given over to vehicles with two rows of parking and two lanes of traffic. The footpaths are miserably narrow and poorly surfaced, streetlighting is outdated and inadequate and the general street environment is blighted by clutter like archaic ESB cables, ugly bollards and excessive signage and galvanised steel poles. These same streets are often full of cars but devoid of people.

Continental Europe has long realised that attractive street designs which prioritise people over cars are essential in making cities more liveable, vibrant and successful for both residents and visitors alike. Until we finally wake up to that reality we're going nowhere in Limerick and the city centre will continue to struggle and stagnate.

Firstly i was asked how parking in the crescent is more convenient. Are any of the points I made about its convenience, inncorrect? (The answer is no).

Secondly, you are again missing the point. We keep asking the question "why is nobody using the city center and why are businesses not interested?". Well everyone keeps telling you. But instead of taking it on board, you attack the answer by calling it BS. Maybe the thanks farming is giving you a false sense of being correct?

30 years ago our city was full of traffic and our city was thriving. Now our city has less traffic and zero large businesses. I mean take away Brown Thomas and what is the City's biggest name? 30 years ago we had BT Debenhams Next TopShop etc. a full crusies street. We had lots of options. Poeple came to our city from other cities ffs.

But now we have car parks that cost people a tenner to park for a couple of hours. Yes we can park on street for up to 2 hours (you can use the app to "re-park" but you're also not supposed to). Parking on street isnt great if you're a parent with young kids. Its not great if you are a wheelchair user. Its not great if its a Saturday or close to Christmas because it doesnt exist. So expensive car parks are the only real option.

The other issue being safety. As a 40 year old man I personally feel fine. But I can see how my wife feels a little iffy about parking in town on street while getting the kids out of the car with the usual drunks around. Its intimidating.

The Crescent has FREE PARKING. It feels safer. The being in doors is an extra convenience for those with kids.

When your product isnt working you do market research. You dont tell the people that give you feedback, that their reason is b***s***. We keep hearing the same reasons for people not using the city. Its parking. If you cant see that its an issue, the conversation is way beyond you.

Businesses are not interested in Limerick City center. The question is why?

Doing "park and ride" from a shopping center with loads of shops/cafes to a city center with very few shops/cafes, makes zero sense.

The reality is not everyone can get to the center without a car. You need to accommodate that. Just look at every small town from here to Dublin. All vibrant busy towns back in the day before we took away their traffic. Now they are all dying.

Traffic is not the enemy. Traffic is the customer!!

geotrig

A lot of the shops you mention above have failed in general and not just in Limerick so not really fitting with the issue you are presenting of a vibrant city, yes they are a loss to the city and yes the city does need to address why it is struggling to attract new or bigger retailers but the same can be said about the crescent and most other towns city's the model is just not working for most.

The Crescent have a few empty units as well that aren't attracting any new big retail either, but again that's more to do with the other issues than just town or Crescent.

I have parked about 5-10 mins walk outside the city centre for years, for free and its a nice pleasant stroll with the kids into town for me or my wife, we have never felt unsafe and have done this in any and all weather conditions .Days I've been in a rush I've probably used the car parks and its been grand,(The euro car parks had a Sat offer for years where it worked out like 3 quid pretty much for the day)

Safety well unless you realise not everyone is out to get you then nothing can be done there ! the begger's are a pain but really again not just a issue that faces limerick. you go on about traffic in town but I would suggest removing the traffic is making it safer and pleasant place to be also no shop is gaining a customer if they are in their cars ,they are probably on their way to the Crescent for the free parking anyway !! vanquished hit the nail on the head Limerick has a lot of legacy issues and the retail world is changing but don't **** on it for not offering preceived convinence*.

by that i mean going to the crescent for me adds additional travel for me or most unless you live close by and then you should just walk there ,pain in the ass sometimes to get a parking space ,potentially more knicks or knocks on paintwork of car from inconsiderate parents leaving their kids swing cars doors open etc still a few a few mins walk to the actual building ,can still be approached in the car park being tapped, all to go into a stuffy mess of a place for 1 or 2 extra shops noooo thanks

Cookiemunster

The Crescent can be a right pain in the arse. On busy days walking down the mall is like being rammed into a sheep pen, there are traffic jams on all the surrounding roads and it can take an hour to get out of the car park (my record).

I avoid the place like the plague. Most of the shops in the Crescent either have other outlets elsewhere in the city or there are other businesses replicating what's available there.

Cetyl Palmitate

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121920651#Comment_121920651

And the worst part is there is no where to stop and have a pint!

I am wary about continuing the conversation as this probably isnt the place for it tbf. But in terms of "businesses opening" it is important to understand why they are not.

Everyone here keeps doing the same thing. The think "I never have an issue, so why does everyone else?". You need to not be so narcissistic about it.

You cant just think about your situation. Doing so misses the whole point.

The excuses here are insane

"Cant stop for a pint" - most people going to town also CANT stop for a pint.

"takes an hour to get out of the crescent" - mate I go there EVERY weekend and it hasnt taken me an hour to get out at Christmas!!!

"empty units in the crescent" is the same as empty STREETS in the City?

Car parks in the Crescent can get your car scratched but not car parks in the city?

Surely you are seeing how out of touch you are with the actual issue?

I love pedestrianisation and I am all for it. BUT park and ride doesnt work. Relying on people to walk to the City Centre doesnt work. Public transport doesnt work.

We need to grow up. Cars exist. We need to learn how to get them into the city without clogging up the city. People keep saying "but European Cities". No European City stops cars from getting to the City. Its about what we do with them. Car parking being free is a start. There should be NO PRIVATE care parks in the City.

Cookiemunster

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121920829#Comment_121920829

No European City stops cars from getting to the City.

Really??????

Milan, Paris, Stockholm

https://www.euronews.com/green/2023/10/23/one-of-europes-most-polluted-cities-wants-to-ban-cars-from-its-centre

Oslo, Ghent.

https://www.europeofcities.com/blog/take-a-walk-cities-banning-cars

Dublin!

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-02-17/dublin-takes-aim-at-traffic-congestion-with-a-car-ban-on-certain-trips

Yea cool story. Too bad you didnt read what you even re-wrote

No European City stops cars from getting to the City.

There are large zones of pedestrianisation in a lot of Cities (something I am not against as I mentioned above). The difference is that these Cities dont pretend traffic doesnt exist and isnt needed.

Take Milan for example. FREE Parking outside all major bus and train stations. Loads of FREE CAR PARKS. Yes there are zones that charge 3 euro an hour and zones where it is parking permit only. But they have solutions to the parking. They dont use private car parks to do this.

Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin all have large car parks around the city centre that allow people to commute to the City. You dont need to be able to park outside each shop. But you do need to park within reasonable distance of the City because not everyone is a healthy young man. The City isnt working and instead of blaming people for not using it, why are we not listening to their reasons for not using it. In Ireland we THINK we only have two mindsets "everyone is a whinger" and "everything is s**t". Just because someone is whinging doenst mean there isnt some truth. Too many people prefer their own voices instead of using their ears. I can walk to town. Its not an issue for me. But IT IS an issue for the thousands that AVOID TOWN.

Perhaps this could be an interesting alternative topic though. "Why is the City not working"

geotrig

I'm fairly sure stopping for a pint was just in jest for the most part ! but if you want a better take on it there is a lot nicer eateries to stop of at in town than in the Crescent. nicer parks than in the crescent

Car parks in the Crescent can get your car scratched but not car parks in the city?

My point on the car damage is I've had my own car scratched and damaged hit with doors etc many times in the crescent and retail parks ,I never said this doesn't happen in city car parks, but if you look at post I park just outside where no damage has ever been done to my car and have had plenty of space to be able to get out and assemble buggies etc without hassle

"empty units in the crescent" is the same as empty STREETS in the City?

everyone agrees that there is problems with getting new businesses to open but you cant ignore the fact that even if limerick OR LCC solved their side of the issues it still may not be able to attract business due to the changing landscape of retail EMPTY STEETS EMTPY UNITS stem from the same issues in general

I love pedestrianisation and I am all for it. BUT park and ride doesn't work. Relying on people to walk to the City Centre doesn't work. Public transport doesnt work.

do you though, you should be encouraging your kids to be outdoors and walking ,hell even for your own health , parking up in cleeves and strolling in to town is far nicer than trapsing around the Crescent fair enough if you are only getting your weekly shop but outside of that why would you bother

You have no idea how active or inactive my kids are. We work all week and are rarely at home at the weekend. We are constantly out. I love going to the City. I am saying that its more difficult to go to the city than retail parks. I am also pointing out that many people say parking is they biggest issue for going to the City. That is just factual.

If you were to open a business in the morning you would look at footfall. Right now the footfall is not in the City Centre. We need to ask why. Everyone that says parking, is told they are talking BS. So what is the answer. How do you get more people into the City? I am not talking about attractions, but logistically

MarkR

I split out the discussion on parking to keep it all together.

Red Silurian

I was in California a few years ago. Cities over there the size of Limerick have very little on-street (side of the footpath) parking but loads of off-street and multi-storey availability less than 5 mins walk to the main streets, and all free. Such a situation means busses were freely and quickly able to traverse the cities out into the suburbs and anybody who wanted instead to drive could do so.

I can see a similar situation working here if the council ever had the bravery

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121920829#Comment_121920829

You can't get them into the city without clogging the city.

It's a physical impossibility.

Not what Limerick people seem to call the city anyway because somewhere like Cleeves is judged to be "way too far"

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121921037#Comment_121921037

Speaking of eateries and most (not all) business the reason I use the city over any shopping centre is that shopping centres are bad for local business.

Local business is good if we don't want Limerick to just be a copy and paste job.

Celmullet

Beck in February I posted this in the Random Waffle thread and it might be apt in here.

My random thought, Limerick has the best on street parking in any of the major cities, especially if you use the Park Magic app. Parking in Cork, using the app you've to register which street you are on, and the minimum is €2 for 2 hours, parking in Dublin you've to figure out which zone you are in which dictates the price, which can go up to €4 an hour in the yellow zone.

In Limerick, the minimum is 15 minutes for 25c, so those even who are just "popping" in to a shop can you it, and it is for any street. You can choose from there up, so only €1 per hour, if you're only in getting a few things. Limerick also has the shortest times when paid parking is enforced from 9.30 to 5.30 mostly and free parking on Saturdays outside the main centre, passed Mallow Street and on King's Island.

Yes, the car parks are expensive, but that's the same everywhere, paying for the convenience of parking in the heart of the city and not looking for a space on the street (there are always spaces, but probably not on the same street as where you are going, and you might have to loop around once or twice). People aren't parking on Patrick Street in Cork or O'Connell Street in Dublin with ease either.

I drive a lot, so know how difficult it is to park in Dublin or Cork. Limerick is a dream in comparison.

LeoD

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121920829#Comment_121920829

"We need to learn how to get them into the city (cars) without clogging up the city" - unless you build an underground road network that's just not possible.

Walking around the city centre with young kids is a bit stressful due to danger posed by motor traffic - you have to keep them close at all times. This is something you don't have to deal with in shopping centres which are basically a collection of traffic free pedestrianised streets. Edge of town shopping centres and big box stores along with prioritising motor traffic flow through the city centre over everything else has lead to the demise of the city centre. Until it becomes as attractive to live in for families who have chosen the suburbs and beyond over the last 40 years, the city centre will always struggle.

rjoe90

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121920190#Comment_121920190

Agree with you and all of your points are correct on the big issues with the city centre at the moment.

However, I don’t see understand why more convenient/cheaper parking would be a bad thing. How do you expect people to get into the city, our public transport is nowhere near good enough unfortunately.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121924126#Comment_121924126

The "convenient" parking usually means roadside and that runs counter to making the city look good and cheaper seems to mean free which would be fine with me but won't happen.

Also to have very central multistorey you have to drive the cars into the centre which means loads of traffic

As for public transport we are due a 70% increase in city buses and loads of new routes. There has also already been an increase in bus routes from outside the city and ease of access to these routes has been improved too.

Red Silurian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121922855#Comment_121922855

You could stop a lot of cars going through the city if we had a free flowing ring road around the centre of the city. This would allow more to come in to the city. The Council could buy/build multistorey car parks on this ring road and allow people to park in them for free to access the inner streets. Main problem with this is the council would have to spend money to save the city

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121925246#Comment_121925246

The council don't build ring roads as far as I'm aware. They would be TII national infrastructure projects.

Also the big hold up to the full ring road was the part that needs to run through Parteen in Clare so again not the councils fault.

A full ring road would be amazing though and you could certainly then start doing what Dublin is doing with banning through traffic which is a big problem on William St. and O'Connell St.

Red Silurian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121925373#Comment_121925373

TII build at the request of council I'm sure.

The ring road you speak of, if it ever goes ahead, will take away traffic coming from Castletroy to the north of the city but isn't much good for traffic looking to go to Corbally/Raheen for example. A proper ring road in my mind would be free flowing in that direction

You probably wouldn't even need to introduce a ban on through traffic if you had a proper ring road as cars would follow the fastest route.

Not sure how banning through traffic would even be enforced either, and there's always the minority who need to drop somebody off in town on their way to the other side

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121925449#Comment_121925449

Corbally to Raheen on a full 360 ring road is more than good enough because It will be the fastest route due to less stopping and a higher speed limit.

Ring roads don't stop through traffic without other measures as every city that has one knows. Just look at Dublin for instance.

If you want to know how you enforce no through traffic there are loads of examples. Again look at the plans for Dublin.

Cookiemunster

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121925373#Comment_121925373

The LNDR wasn't a TII project. It was to be a local rather than national road and was being pushed by Limerick and Clare councils with the project being led by Clare CC. It would need government funding, but as it wasn't a national road, it was under the auspices of TII.

Red Silurian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121925540#Comment_121925540

I wouldn't consider the M50 to be a proper ring road as it only takes half a ring and is tolled. For example somebody going from Kilbarrack to Blackrock is going to go through the city instead of taking the M50

Again I'm not sure how they would police through traffic or even define what it is so it can be policed. Should we ban a car going from Corbally to Raheen or Caherdavin to Castletroy that wants to grab a quick takeaway cuppa from a cafe in Thomas Street for example?

When I was in college I was driving through the city to get from home to college but I'd regularly drop a family member to work in the city on my way. Was I part of the through traffic to be banned?

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121925855#Comment_121925855

You don't "police" through traffic.You make loads of things like converging one-way roads and bus gates.

No one is getting banned.

You keep talking to me like this is theoretical but it's not. Loads of real world examples of you are curious.

https://cities-today.com/dublin-council-unveils-plans-to-restrict-car-traffic-in-the-irish-capital/

Again no one is getting banned.

phog

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121925855#Comment_121925855

Some of the same people that are against traffic in the city are also against the ring road.

Personally, I don't see the city ever being traffic free unless there's an alternative option to drive around it.

chicorytip

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121912490#Comment_121912490

Saturday is no longer a free parking day and traffic wardens now work Mon-Sat.

The availability of on street spaces is unbalanced in the sense of there being little in the actual dead centre with the majority located north of Cecil Street.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121934271#Comment_121934271

And people act like Cecil st. is miles away despite it being just as close to your destination as a lot of parking spaces in a shopping centre.

It's actually not normal to have parking spaces on the likes of O'Connell/William/Thomas St.

Poxyshamrock

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121934271#Comment_121934271

Plenty of areas of the city have Mon-Fri parking. The big car park across from the people’s park and areas up around Newtown Pery are free on Saturdays.

leakyboots

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121912490#Comment_121912490

What are the streets where there's free parking from 5pm Friday to 8am Monday?