Galway Airport - mega merge

Haven't seen it mentioned anywhere else but Skydive Ireland moved it's whole operation to Galway airport lately, operating seven days a week according to it's website. Another operator is using one of the hangars to store it's plane. So things seem to be happening other than the park and ride.

http://www.skydiveireland.ie/location-galway.php

Plus jets seem to come and go a lot not to mention the Air Corps who seem to be there every day lately.

Doesn't look like closing any day soon.

FlashD

connemara man wrote: »

But can someone entering Galway from the east or that area guarantee themselves a parking spot in dyke rd without getting to Galway by 9:30, I doubt it also they are saving the feul cost of travelling in further

Bit out of touch there.

Don't know if you've been to Galway in the last 5 years but the Dyke Rd car park barely makes half full at any time these days.

Has been like that for a long time....sign of the times and all that!

Scone190

asdfg! wrote: »

Haven't seen it mentioned anywhere else but Skydive Ireland moved it's whole operation to Galway airport lately, operating seven days a week according to it's website. Another operator is using one of the hangars to store it's plane. So things seem to be happening other than the park and ride.

http://www.skydiveireland.ie/location-galway.php

Plus jets seem to come and go a lot not to mention the Air Corps who seem to be there every day lately.

Doesn't look like closing any day soon.

Yes the airport seems to be going ok still! The skydive Ireland has been there for a few months now and they are always out jumping !!! I see them regularly a few times a day weather permitting over claregalway jumping,cool sight . Also there has been the odd bizjets coming in, recently I saw a netjets hawker 750 into the airport during the snooker at nuig and also a eclipse 500 and a pc12 over the past few months and im sure there has been others I have not seen as Im not always in Galway also Gerry Humphreys has based his commander aircraft there since April afaik http://www.pacnetair.com/aircraft.html .
And also as always the aeroclub is there too.There is rumours of an airline possibly starting at the airport in the future but I will keep quiet on that till I find out more information . your right it doesn't look like closing any day soon :cool:

Yes that's it, Gerry Humphrey's Commander. Also there was a significant visitor lately. Can't say any more but the word strategic comes to mind.Seem to me that Galway airport won't be allowed to close.

I hope the Galway Airport's Park and Ride will be a success. Anything that takes private car's off the city and suburban streets has to be welcomed.
Anybody know what route the bus is taking to and from town?

what_traffic wrote: »

I hope the Galway Airport's Park and Ride will be a success. Anything that takes private car's off the city and suburban streets has to be welcomed.

Be a little realistic with your hopes there are 600 spaces and there are no stops along the way - so it's of little benefit to anyone in Mervue & Ballybane e.g. Avaya/Nortel, Thermo King, HP & Boston etc. This and the pricing (€5 for min 1 adult & 1 u-16 vs €4 per adult) makes me think it's more of a shopping facilitator than something aimed at commuters.

Perhaps they'd be better off asking the estates to organise shuttles to & from the airport (PWC & Eastpoint Business Park do this in Dublin).

what_traffic wrote: »

Anybody know what route the bus is taking to and from town?

Dublin Rd probably, IIRC the Christmas P&R used that. Given the unpredictability of the traffic on the Monvea rd (one day little/no traffic, the next it's backed up over 1 mile from Parkmore), I'd say they'll probably use the N18 to get to the motorway and go n that way.

flazio

I just mentioned in the thread for the P&R in Commuting and Transport forum that it would be great if they would designate one coach to run around the hospitals, one to run around the Industrial estates and one to run around the shopping centres (including city centre)

Can I be pessimistic realistic and say that this is a ridiculous proposal and will not work?

The Park and Ride works for Christmas when traffic is worse than normal and parking is tight but on an average week, I highly doubt that people will go out of their way to the airport and pay a whopping four/five euro for the privilege of riding a bus into town when parking may well be cheaper and more convenient.

Convenience should not be discounted here. People will often pay a couple of euro more to park nearby to their destination and not have to walk to the Coach Station, carrying bags, etc. I would do it!

It may work if the charge was free/nominal but even then I fear the uptake will be small.

I wouldn't mind so much if it were a private company, but our tax money has been ploughed into this. Money down the drain I fear but hope I'm wrong.

dloob

I have my doubts about what sort of usage this service will get.
We'll find out in a few weeks I suppose, I'm expecting another western rail corridor.

seanin4711

what_traffic wrote: »

I hope the Galway Airport's Park and Ride will be a success. Anything that takes private car's off the city and suburban streets has to be welcomed.
Anybody know what route the bus is taking to and from town?

4 quid a pop get all day parking for a fiver in town!
council dont have a clue on how to run thses ventures.
anywhere in uk they are one(yes one pound).
If your going to charge ,charge 2-3 euro and then you might get punters.
4 euro is too much and also we are lazy and like the comfort of our own car(sadly).
great idea daft pricing!

seanin4711

aw wrote: »

Can I be pessimistic realistic and say that this is a ridiculous proposal and will not work?

The Park and Ride works for Christmas when traffic is worse than normal and parking is tight but on an average week, I highly doubt that people will go out of their way to the airport and pay a whopping four/five euro for the privilege of riding a bus into town when parking may well be cheaper and more convenient.

Convenience should not be discounted here. People will often pay a couple of euro more to park nearby to their destination and not have to walk to the Coach Station, carrying bags, etc. I would do it!

It may work if the charge was free/nominal but even then I fear the uptake will be small.

I wouldn't mind so much if it were a private company, but our tax money has been ploughed into this. Money down the drain I fear but hope I'm wrong.

agree

seanin4711 wrote: »

4 quid a pop get all day parking for a fiver in town!
council dont have a clue on how to run thses ventures.
anywhere in uk they are one(yes one pound).
If your going to charge ,charge 2-3 euro and then you might get punters.
4 euro is too much and also we are lazy and like the comfort of our own car(sadly).
great idea daft pricing!

It's not Galway City/County Council run? Private Bus operator and Galway Airport's major shareholder is the Galway Chamber of Commerce. City Council are supporting it; with public money but private money been invested here as well.

Anybody know what the actual route the bus will taking to and from town? Dublin Road or Monivea Road?

Aerohead

Passed by the Airport recently and there was a lovely US registered jet there so it is working away , Coastguard helicopters and as mentioned the Air Corps are regular visitors for fuel etc. The Air Corps helicopter that comes into the hospital on a daily basis now is a great service and makes great use of the Airport for fuel.

what_traffic wrote: »

It's not Galway City/County Council run?

No it's being run on behalf of the Chamber of Commerce - which is not part of the city council - by Farrell Travel (under a trading name).

I haven't seen the buses come in the Monivea Road, so I presume they are going Dublin Rd.

Mrs OBumble

I spotted two going up the Moivea Rd yesterday (Coach Station to Airport). Don't know about the inbound route.

Pic courtesy of Jimmy Norman earlier today.

Jimmy Norman ‏@JimmyNorman

Park and ride off to a flying start at #Galway airport. 3 cars.

flynnlives

i saw one of the buses leaving the airport yesterday and not a soul on board.

a complete waste of time and money.

snubbleste

Galway Car Park
now with airport attached

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

I spotted two going up the Moivea Rd yesterday (Coach Station to Airport). Don't know about the inbound route.

At 5pm yesterday they were going in the Monivea Rd. Can't see them doing that in the morning though.

antoobrien wrote: »

At 5pm yesterday they were going in the Monivea Rd. Can't see them doing that in the morning though.

Saw a couple this morning on the Monivea Road, empty. They would be better off on the Tuam road inbound in the mornings though. That's a tip for drivers too.:)

I too have doubts about the idea myself. But it's worth a try. Can't see it being very busy except at Christmas though. A lot of commuters already have their parking sorted long ago. Certain housing estates near Bus Eireann stops seem to have a lot of cars which disappear at going home time.

asdfg! wrote: »

Certain housing estates near Bus Eireann stops seem to have a lot of cars which disappear at going home time.

Do tell? East or West side of the city?

what_traffic wrote: »

Do tell? East or West side of the city?

Eastish and no more clues, don't want to attract anymore.;)

flynnlives

when this obviously fails the council and whomever will put out a press release saying "they were dissappointted with the uptake" ie blame the public for not using their ill thought out plan.

Im sure they will also use this in some way to also not properly run or put in the infastructure for the oranmore rail station even tho that as been poorly thought out as well.

galwaycyclist

flynnlives wrote: »

i saw one of the buses leaving the airport yesterday and not a soul on board.

a complete waste of time and money.

I wouldn't say so. If it fails it will hopefully be a very direct wake up call to the Chamber of Commerce. It would hopefully wake them up to the fact that car parking oversupply in the city centre has direct negative implications for measures to alleviate traffic congestion.

It might even wake them up to the idea that car-parking provision is a direct source of traffic congestion.

asdfg! wrote: »

Eastish and no more clues, don't want to attract anymore.;)

So there is a park and ride of sorts going on here then.

galwaycyclist wrote: »

I wouldn't say so. If it fails it will hopefully be a very direct wake up call to the Chamber of Commerce. It would hopefully wake them up to the fact that car parking oversupply in the city centre has direct negative implications for measures to alleviate traffic congestion.

It might even wake them up to the idea that car-parking provision is a direct source of traffic congestion.

Excellent point.
To many vested interests making money from car parking in the city for the park and ride to take off; City Council are included in those vested interests.

ben.schlomo

what_traffic wrote: »

So there is a park and ride of sorts going on here then.

Its happened down at the front of Tirellan for a number of years, not sure if it still is happening.

galwaycyclist wrote: »

car parking oversupply in the city centre

I shouldn't bite but cop on - it's so hard to get parking in the center of town that poeple are going to Athlone to shop instead of Galway.

ratracer

antoobrien wrote: »

I shouldn't bite but cop on - it's so hard to get parking in the center of town that poeple are going to Athlone to shop instead of Galway.

Seriously??
When did you last try to park in Galway? There is never a problem and rarely a full sign in any of the multi storey car parks. (Maybe Debenhams on a Saturday morning). It may be difficult to get on street parking, but there is definitly not a problem finding a parking space in Galway for the vast majority of the year.