# New rail parking charges to cost commuters €500 a year



## pieman (17 Jul 2008)

Just saw this in the news this morning. Park and ride, pay for parking. Great another expense. Can we get a tax deduction on this?


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## ClubMan (17 Jul 2008)

pieman said:


> Can we get a tax deduction on this?


No. Unless perhaps as an incidental cost of doing business incurred by a self employed person that can be written off (but not a regular cost incurred travelling to one's normal place of work as far as I know)?


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## ubiquitous (17 Jul 2008)

A bad, bad decision by Irish Rail. You would think their job would be to encourage people to use the damn trains. Not the opposite


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## jhegarty (17 Jul 2008)

If they are worried about people using their car park then should be €5 if not buying a train ticket , free if you do....


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## ubiquitous (17 Jul 2008)

jhegarty said:


> If they are worried about people using their car park then should be €5 if not buying a train ticket , free if you do....



Hardly much of an issue in places like Edgeworthstown and Millstreet where the stations are in the middle of nowhere, 1 or 2 miles away from the town/village itself.


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## theoneill (17 Jul 2008)

jhegarty said:


> If they are worried about people using their car park then should be €5 if not buying a train ticket , free if you do....



They have just copped on that they have an asset in place that will generate quite a bit of income and have decided to use it. It's just a cash cow; just watch the e2 per day slowly climb to e2.50. Also watch in amazement as people pay it.


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## pieman (17 Jul 2008)

They reckon it will encourage people to use public transport ie dublin bus (where applicable) to and from train stations. I can get the bus to the train station €1.50 each way. So thats €3 a day and about hour waiting on buses. Or spend €2 on parking. I fail to see the logic other than extorting more money of out us and giving us a worse quality of life. Thanks a CIE/ Irish Rail.


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## dem_syhp (17 Jul 2008)

Playing devils advocate here.  I appreciate that it may hurt/cost you - but will there be a benefit to others?

Will more people walk/cycle to the station?  Those that live further away may be able to get a space.  I've no experience here, but I'm guessing that parking is at a premium and people are parking at the crack of dawn to get a spot?  Assuming that the money is used for carpark expansion as it says in the article - is this a good thing? 

However, I agree with the comment about the difference in stations that are out in the middle of no where versus ones in built up areas.  It's only people local to these stations that would know if parking is a problem there.  

The government should have a vested interest in getting people off the roads.  I'm not sure that Irish Rail would have that as a specific objective.  

As an aside, it's not really 500 a year.  It's 8 Euro a week or 2 Euro a day, at 50 weeks is 400, assuming people take 2 week holidays.  Sure 500 was a nice number for the headline, but 400 is more realistic.

I mainly cycle and don't work for any vested interest!


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## pieman (17 Jul 2008)

OK so maybe 400 is more realistic price to pay. It is still a lot of money considering everything else is going up. My train station is located in the middle of no where, it takes around 35 mins to walk to there. There are no cycle lanes, and roads are narrow and dangerous enough. Buses every other hour or so.

They have built all these new commuter towns and have not put the infrastructure in place( regular bus service, cycle lanes , and even car parking spaces). And now they want to charge €2 a day for inadequate facilities. If I pay my €8 a week it will not guarantee me a parking spot in the morning.


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## Ron Burgundy (17 Jul 2008)

dem_syhp said:


> Playing devils advocate here. I appreciate that it may hurt/cost you - but will there be a benefit to others?
> 
> Will more people walk/cycle to the station? Those that live further away may be able to get a space. I've no experience here, but I'm guessing that parking is at a premium and people are parking at the crack of dawn to get a spot? Assuming that the money is used for carpark expansion as it says in the article - is this a good thing?
> 
> ...


 

Perfect if everyone lives within walking cycleing distance from the station.

Edgeworthstown was mentioned and i'm from 4 miles from there. Do you expect people to walk/cycle 8 miles a day to get a train ??

Same in Laois, unless you live in Portarlington/Portlaoise you have to drive to the train station.

Perhaps they should focus on having the trains running on time and the usual weekly delays.

Also 400 a week on top of over 1k on the ticket in the first place is silly.

I commute for 15/17 hrs a week and to add anther 3 hrs a week to that getting to the station in the first place is just crazy.


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## quinno (17 Jul 2008)

theoneill said:


> Also watch in amazement as people pay it.


 
Also watch in amazement as the people who drive a 10 minute wallk to the station will stop doing so.


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## paddyd (17 Jul 2008)

pieman said:


> If I pay my €8 a week it will not guarantee me a parking spot in the morning.



Surely paying the €8 p.w guarantee's a space?

EDIT:  p.s. I use the taxsaver annual ticket, so this in effect will double my train costs

EDIT2: also imagine the mess on a Monday morning as everyone queues to get into the bloody carpark racing for the train, while searching for their €8 (one of the best advantages of the anunal ticket, no more hoarding coins). At our station 95% will be getting the weekly option for sure.


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## paddyd (17 Jul 2008)

theoneill said:


> It's just a cash cow; just watch the e2 per day slowly climb to e2.50. Also watch in amazement as people pay it.



but thats the amazing thing its not a cash cow; by outsourcing to a private company they will only be taking ONE million per year. ONE, across 37 stations thats €27k p.a from each station on average. How can it be worth it?


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## pieman (17 Jul 2008)

paddyd said:


> Surely paying the €8 p.w guarantee's a space?



You have obviously never been to Rush/Lusk train station then? There are more illegally parked cars then you can shake a stick at. One of the car parks looks like second hand car lot. 

You think people will illegally park if there is private clamping company operating on the grounds?


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## ubiquitous (17 Jul 2008)

This measure will reduce, not increase, the amount of available parking space in some stations. In Edgeworthstown it is currently possible to park on the road next to the car park, if the car park is full. How long will this last now?


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## Ron Burgundy (17 Jul 2008)

ubiquitous said:


> This measure will reduce, not increase, the amount of available parking space in some stations. In Edgeworthstown it is currently possible to park on the road next to the car park, if the car park is full. How long will this last now?


 
that car park is only there a few years so the road was always full with cars when i was growing up.

Portarlington is the same, there will be cars parked all over the place to avoid paying the 8 euro.

and the 10 min walk adds up to nearly 2 hrs extra commuting a week, if you are doing a lot of hrs an extra 2 hrs is a lot.


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## ubiquitous (17 Jul 2008)

Ron Burgundy said:


> that car park is only there a few years so the road was always full with cars when i was growing up.
> 
> Portarlington is the same, there will be cars parked all over the place to avoid paying the 8 euro.
> 
> .



Don't worry. The boys will arrive in no time with the yellow paint and the "no parking - clamping in operation" signs. Then people will start missing trains as they can't find parking spaces in the limited time available. And they will decide to drive to the city the next time. And Irish Rail loses again. Same old story...


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## creme egg (17 Jul 2008)

I get the train from Maynooth every day, I have to drive as I live in a town close by, not close enough to cycle (apart from the fact that the roads are country roads, no cycle lanes)
Currently I get the 7 am (and always get a spot in the station), but will be moving job soon, (still travelling by train)  and will be getting the 8am train. 
Generally speaking anyone getting that train from Maynooth would not have a snowballs chance in hell of getting a parking spot.
I hope one good thing to come from this will be that I will be able to get a spot for the 8 train.   I doubt it though as people might be of the mentality ah sure it's only 2euro (especially in the rain)


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## paddyd (17 Jul 2008)

pieman said:


> You have obviously never been to Rush/Lusk train station then? There are more illegally parked cars then you can shake a stick at. One of the car parks looks like second hand car lot.
> 
> You think people will illegally park if there is private clamping company operating on the grounds?



hmm, i wasn't really asking about illegal parking; I was wondering if the €8 per week price GUARANTEE's a space. If not, then why pay it?

I use R & L station daily by coincidence. Where are all these illegally parked cars you are referring to? as its a private carpark, people can park whereever they wish; no-one is parked 'illegally'. Its up to the Station to decide who gets clamped for parking where, and they currently enforce that very well, mainly on the smaller Lusk-side carpark

EDIT: didn't Gormanston station get this paid-parking system last year as a pilot?


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## peggybetty (17 Jul 2008)

What is irritating to me is the current cost of parking in the likes of Leixlip Louise Bridge is €2 per day or €5 for the week, now they will give us a "deal" for €8 per week ?

A €3 p.w. hike will be felt


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## paddyd (17 Jul 2008)

peggybetty said:


> What is irritating to me is the current cost of parking in the likes of Leixlip Louise Bridge is €2 per day or €5 for the week, now they will give us a "deal" for €8 per week ?



Peggy, how does the weekly ticket currently work, are you guaranteed a space?


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## Round Tuit (17 Jul 2008)

I live near Coolmine station, in a private estate which already has a problem with non-residents parking in it. We also have a problem with dangerous parking on our access road eg, people parked on top of junctions, directly opposite junctions forcing drivers onto the wrong side of the road. We have to make a 2-pronged effort to sort this - 1 with our managing agents and 2 with developer of diff estate as the main access road, which is not part of our private estate hasn't been "taken in charge" yet. 

BUT the point is, it will be interesting to see how this parking outside the car park in estates escalates in an attempt to save a few bob. In turn that will have us eventually hiring clampers for inside the private bit and trying to get double yellow lines on the main road - which would be a bit killjoy now but as they are already starting to park in dangerous spots, is becoming a realistic/necessary route.


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## pieman (17 Jul 2008)

paddyd said:


> I use R & L station daily by coincidence. Where are all these illegally parked cars you are referring to? as its a private car park, people can park whereever they wish; no-one is parked 'illegally'. Its up to the Station to decide who gets clamped for parking where, and they currently enforce that very well, mainly on the smaller Lusk-side car park



The current car park on the lusk side is unconventional to say the least. As far as I know, there maybe plans for that whole area? The station do not give a toss parking or anything else. Take for example the 20 or 30 Roma Gypsies(apologies if that's no pc) living in small cottage on their land.  And what about these guys "Nationwide Controlled    Parking Systems"? I bet these guys would clamp their own grandmother. Trust me they will enforce unmercifully.


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## peggybetty (17 Jul 2008)

Paddyd, no the current weekly ticket does not guarantee you a space. But neither will the €8 I'm sure.

A €3 hike in the weekly cost I believe will mean more people parking in estates etc.

To be honest I have not grumbled about the €5 per week as it seemed reasonable and luckliy at the time I get to Louisa Bridge station car park I will always get a space, but I really think the price hike is cruel and I would like to see it justified.
If you buy the weekly ticket for 48 weeks of the year your costs (on top of your ticket) have gone from €240 per year to €384


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