New pay and display parking?

Ernie Ball

red_ice wrote: »

Personally, i think its a great idea. This way i can park there and not have to worry(not that i really do anyways) about not being a student or member of staff in anyway at all. Brilliant!

I think you misunderstood the idea. Permits would be required to park on campus. Staff get them free. Students get them according to need. Freeloaders like you get clamped.

convert

When I started my postgrad I had the option of renting or buying a car and driving up and down from carlow/kildare/wicklow boarder. I did a few test runs before deciding that it was actually better to spend dead money on rent rather than invest in a car. That wasn't just because it would take about 2 hours to commute each way each day at peak time, but if I wanted to come into college a little later in the day (ie - after 10am) it would be impossible to find a parking space.

I really think some sort of disk parking for students and staff would be the way to go, with pay and display for non-frequent users (ie - visitors) and then clamp those who park and ride. (It'd also give extra fund to Brady and co!)

Ernie Ball

convert wrote: »

(It'd also give extra fund to Brady and co!)

...to give to their consultant friends.

Ginny

red_ice wrote: »

Personally, i think its a great idea. This way i can park there and not have to worry(not that i really do anyways) about not being a student or member of staff in anyway at all. Brilliant!

50 cent an hour (if that was the quote), is a great price to pay for parking, count yourself lucky its not alot more - when you get your multistory car park you can bet your ass it will be, they dont come cheap!

I wonder if i can use that aswell

And yes, i do frequent the premises, but not for an educational purpose.

If the pay and display came in on campus for everyone, I for one would be looking for a new job.
All it would do is open UCD up to more commuters thinking well for 4 euro or so I can park there instead of town..

Breezer

Ernie Ball wrote: »

But anyone who lives within a mile of campus or of the 10 and 46A bus routes has no business being allowed to take a car onto campus.

I live somewhere between a mile and two miles from the 46a route. The thing, it's the very end of the 46a route. People who don't get the bus that far don't realise that the thing takes forever to get to the N11. If I were to get the 46a in the mornings (I have done on several occasions), it would take me approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes to get to campus (45 minutes on the bus plus a 25 minute walk from my house). According to redcar, it takes him slightly less time than this to get to UCD from Wicklow town.

That's without taking into account people who need to be on campus when there is no bus service (people conducting experiments that have to be checked at night, for example, or even those who take advantage of the library's extended opening hours around exam time). While I can see where you're coming from, your logic is flawed. It simply isn't possible to design a system that will take everything into account.

TBH, I've recently come to the conclusion that as it stands, the system is fine. Those who are in early/late enough can get spaces. Those who aren't can park in nearby estates and walk for an extra few minutes (what I do most of the time). A multistory car park is on the cards, which should make up for the fact that the county councils are inevitably going to introduce pay and display in the estates at some point.

Ernie Ball

Breezer wrote: »

I live somewhere between a mile and two miles from the 46a route. The thing, it's the very end of the 46a route. People who don't get the bus that far don't realise that the thing takes forever to get to the N11. If I were to get the 46a in the mornings (I have done on several occasions), it would take me approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes to get to campus (45 minutes on the bus plus a 25 minute walk from my house). According to redcar, it takes him slightly less time than this to get to UCD from Wicklow town.

How long do either of you spend looking for parking when you arrive at UCD?

That's without taking into account people who need to be on campus when there is no bus service (people conducting experiments that have to be checked at night, for example, or even those who take advantage of the library's extended opening hours around exam time). While I can see where you're coming from, your logic is flawed. It simply isn't possible to design a system that will take everything into account.

Other universities worldwide with limited parking facilities and excessive demand seem to have solved these problems. It's not rocket science. Since demand after hours is a fraction of what it is during business hours, it's a simple matter to make the permits necessary between the hours of 7am and 6pm. Those who need to be on campus late won't have to worry about it.

Ah, you say, but what about someone who has to come in early and stay late and doesn't live far enough outside of UCD for a permit?

Answer: those 5 people are out of luck. As opposed to the hundreds inconvenienced every day under the current system not to mention the petrol wasted, the CO2 spewed into the atmosphere, etc.

TBH, I've recently come to the conclusion that as it stands, the system is fine. Those who are in early/late enough can get spaces.

You seem to be forgetting that lecturers who can't get spaces under the current system risk leaving entire lecture theatres full of students with nothing to do. This has happened to me on more than one occasion. The current system is completely unworkable.

Breezer

Ernie Ball wrote: »

How long do either of you spend looking for parking when you arrive at UCD?

I assume what you're getting at is that the time redcar spends looking for parking adds extra time to his journey. I can't speak for him obviously but based on my experience if he gets in early enough or parks in the estates the answer is very little.

Ernie Ball wrote:

Other universities worldwide with limited parking facilities and excessive demand seem to have solved these problems. It's not rocket science.

Most insititutions worldwide have solved problems that seem incapable of being solved in Ireland. Not the point, I know, but I'm not going to hold my breath on UCD coming up with a fantastic solution any time soon.

Ah, you say, but what about someone who has to come in early and stay late and doesn't live far enough outside of UCD for a permit?

Answer: those 5 people are out of luck.

I'd seriously dispute that figure. But neither of us have statistics so I'll leave it go for the moment.

Ernie Ball wrote:

You seem to be forgetting that lecturers who can't get spaces under the current system risk leaving entire lecture theatres full of students with nothing to do. This has happened to me on more than one occasion. The current system is completely unworkable.

With one notable exception, my lecturers seem to manage fine, despite many of them commuting to and from hospitals throughout the day. Perhaps they've decided that on their large salaries they can afford the pay and display car parks, I don't know. Or maybe they just park off-campus.

I'll retract my earlier statement. The system doesn't work 'just fine;' there are some inconveniences. However, 'completely unworkable' is also a gross exaggeration. And believe me, I'm not the type to just leave things go if I feel there's a problem.

Red Alert

I'd go with number plate scanning and barriers. You'd register your car on the SIS system, anyone else has to pay, no way to escape. Also would be handy in that you could come and leave by any entrance as there'd be no need for the traffic calming gates.