WIT to charge for parking

Sully

Was in the college today and saw that work is underway to install a barrier system on entering the college car park. Not sure if its going to be pay, or WIT Card only as I didnt do much looking - but it would look like it will be barrier controlled entrance at the front.

Didn't think it was going ahead so soon!

Minto

Bollocks, this is sh*te news.

I don't suppose they're gonna increase the amount of spaces or anything useful with this money.

AdMMM

Can't see them being able to charge much more than €1 for the day what with us being students and what not.

christophicus

**** I really hope they don't start charging. I assume they are going to do the same at the back entrance??? Thats really going to **** up the traffic there.

sonky353

Im in CIT in Cork and there introducing Pay for parking as well in September and I hear its €2 an hr!!! How stupid :mad:

Sully

The system is finaly in place, and it looks like its not going to be pay parking. The barriers in place is to, by the looks, limit the amount of cars in the car park. So, no more driving around looking for a space. You just get a ticket, and if all tickets are gone you cant get access to the front.

(From what I can gather)

iseegirls

So there is barriers in the 4 different entrances/exits into the college now??

Does anyone know how much they're gonna be charging? Is it gonna start monday?

ec18

They aren't charging you use your WIT card to get in and out....You need to have you're card encoded at the WIT card office....It starts 7 April afaik

Sully

Ah.. that was a suggestion passed around to prevent people who are not WIT Students / Staff to park. Though, lets hope the system isnt a big shambles like the new vending machines - got the card encoded, still waiting for it to work.

stick-dan

Dunno if the problem is still lingering on but last year one of the lads i know had to go to the security office for some camera footage because his car was tampered with. But when we were in there i remember the security guard had a discussion with us, whilst he was showing us the whole system, about how people working in the industrial estate and surrounding businesses in the area on the money depository side of the car park (side nearest lismore) were parking their cars early in the morning in Waterford IT's car-park to avail of free parking on a day long basis and that may be the reason it was introduced. Might just free up some spaces..

Sully

stick-dan wrote: »

Might just free up some spaces..

Well they originally proposed paid parking, or parking for staff only. This might be the start of a way to introduce the latter. Im supprised nothing was said about it before though, officaly and confirmed.

CantGetNoSleep

Sully wrote: »

Well they originally proposed paid parking, or parking for staff only. This might be the start of a way to introduce the latter. Im supprised nothing was said about it before though, officaly and confirmed.

Thats the way it is in UCC, students spend over €30 a week on parking, not to mention the time they spend looking for spaces on side streets

ec18

stick-dan wrote: »

Waterford IT's car-park to avail of free parking on a day long basis and that may be the reason it was introduced. Might just free up some spaces..

But the industrial estate has free parking...so he must have been wrong

CantGetNoSleep

ec18 wrote: »

But the industrial estate has free parking...so he must have been wrong

Security guards are always full of sh*t anyway

stick-dan

nah he wasn't full of sh**e this lad to be fair to him, pretty sound dude and fairly helpful,he showed me and my mate footage of people early in the morning doing it and its amazing where they can track the movement of people around the college...The particular person who parked their car in the carpark was worked in the bank across the road which i thought was ridiculous since the bank has their own spaces anyways, then he went on bout the subject after he showed us about that example...there may be free parking in the industrial estate, i dunno but maybe their isn't enough possibly??

Sully

stick-dan wrote: »

nah he wasn't full of sh**e this lad to be fair to him, pretty sound dude and fairly helpful,he showed me and my mate footage of people early in the morning doing it and its amazing where they can track the movement of people around the college...

Its his job to go through the tapes for god sake. You reported an incident, and its his job to investigate it. There are plenty of black spots CCTV wise. The IT Building is heavily secured due to those pantings (ha)

The particular person who parked their car in the carpark was worked in the bank across the road which i thought was ridiculous since the bank has their own spaces anyways, then he went on bout the subject after he showed us about that example...there may be free parking in the industrial estate, i dunno but maybe their isn't enough possibly??

I'm sure if they were aware of that the car would have been clamped. I think the bank has to many staff for each space anyway. Regardless, that's the back car park your on about and not the front.

Also note, the majority of the problem is not third party parking. Its students who have a few cars to each house, all driving separately to college. A similar problem is those who live in Templers Hall, Lismore Park and surrounding areas couldn't be arsed to get up of their arses and walk. Instead they add pollution to the environment and clog up spaces in the college car park which could be used by people travelling long distance.

stick-dan

Sully wrote: »

Its his job to go through the tapes for god sake. You reported an incident, and its his job to investigate it. There are plenty of black spots CCTV wise. The IT Building is heavily secured due to those pantings (ha)

What I meant by that was he observed the woman in question park the car and proceed to the bank in full uniform, not commenting on the immense amount of camera's around the college, That would not fit in with the subject at hand. I was commenting on the woman abusing our system.

As with regard to this being about the front car-park, how come people seem to think it will only be the top carpark, Yeah ok, for now it may be but the likely-hood is if they are introducing paid entry to the front car-park then if it yields positive results you can be sure that come september the back car-park will be paid entry too, there are barriers already there like.

Also there is a huge problem with all the "locals" driving in but this can not be generalised. There are exceptions to the rules. Sure there are students residing in the surrounding housing estates that drive in absolutely everyday but there are students who only do it when it rains. Surely students can be expected to get soaked on those rainy morning we have weekly. Soon if the thread keeps going and evolving it will be become a thread of residents outside of the immediate Waterford IoT catchment area throwing abuse at those who live right beside it. There are exceptions and not all students drive in..

ec18

they aren't charging for the front car park....Its just restricted access

stick-dan

oh, so what is the point of it?is it simply just to limit people driving around the front of the college?seems strange.

ec18

stick-dan wrote: »

oh, so what is the point of it?is it simply just to limit people driving around the front of the college?seems strange.

yeah thats basically it...so theres no more cars than there is spaces

sonners

So whats the story with taxis dropping people off/collecting from the college? There's a significant amount of traffic in the mornings and evenings generated from taxis/parents/partners dropping off and collecting from the front carpark.

The new barrier means they wont be able to get in if the carpark is full, I can see major disruption with people half pulling in on the Cork rd and blocking either the bus stop, college entrance or the road itself. At these times the cork rd is faily busy anyway, with alot of pedestrians around also, it wont be long before there's an accident.

I can understand them wanting to ensure its college students/staff only but I really dont think they thought this through.

stick-dan

sonners wrote: »

So whats the story with taxis dropping people off/collecting from the college? There's a significant amount of traffic in the mornings and evenings generated from taxis/parents/partners dropping off and collecting from the front carpark.

The new barrier means they wont be able to get in if the carpark is full, I can see major disruption with people half pulling in on the Cork rd and blocking either the bus stop, college entrance or the road itself. At these times the cork rd is faily busy anyway, with alot of pedestrians around also, it wont be long before there's an accident.

I can understand them wanting to ensure its college students/staff only but I really dont think they thought this through.

You're right they didn't think it through!

Looking around the college just passing between the business building and the library i observed no less that three delivery vans pulled up in the front of the college, What are these to do when the new system is introduced? Are they going to be redirected around to the back of the college now once the system is introduced? There is already an ever present danger when the big mineral and college vans pull up the passageway behind the canteen and unless the students are very observant there is a very real chance someone will get hit? Have the college released any briefing on the new system or is it their usual "ah sure we'll see how it goes" attitude with this new system

bwardrop

There is an intercom system on the barrier - when an invited visitor arrives, they buzz the WIT Card office, are issued a ticket and may enter. They present the ticket to exit. It will be possible to book a parking space for a visitor if necessary.

Uninvited visitors may try the intercom system - if there is no space available then they will not be allowed to enter. It is a first come first served basis for staff, students and uninvited visitors.

Deliveries are no longer being facilitated via the front car park

The barriers will only be in operation from 6am - 6pm. Outside of these hours they will be left up.

Although I was opposed to it initially, it seems relatively well thought out and will eliminate delivery vans and illegally parked cars clogging the place up. The car park is tight enough - I would not have liked to see a fire engine get to the sports hall on some of the days last semester.

As for paying - this is probably only a matter of time...

finkwad

So, what happens when, at 9 in the morning, you get to the barrier and realise you've forgotten your card? Will there be room to reverse out, considering there will be a q of traffic behind you right the way down the cork road?
And what happens to the number of spaces(albeit illegal spaces) that will now be unavailable - are these catered for in the back carpark, or do we park in one of the estates up the road?
I can see the point of the barriers, especially with regards to safe access for a fire crew. But I don't think it has been that well thought out...there's going to be a lot of 'teething' problems with this one.
Let's hope they sort them out before hitting us with a fee for parking!!

Sully

Okay but delivery vans will have no chance of getting down via the back car park! The security van will have to use the front and so will the bus - but they are to high up to buz in?! I assume taxis can buz in?

Also, its going to be a bitch to turn back if your refused entry.

(Btw, we were told it was going to use a WIT card and not a ticket.)

Sully

finkwad wrote: »

So, what happens when, at 9 in the morning, you get to the barrier and realise you've forgotten your card? Will there be room to reverse out, considering there will be a q of traffic behind you right the way down the cork road?
And what happens to the number of spaces(albeit illegal spaces) that will now be unavailable - are these catered for in the back carpark, or do we park in one of the estates up the road?
I can see the point of the barriers, especially with regards to safe access for a fire crew. But I don't think it has been that well thought out...there's going to be a lot of 'teething' problems with this one.
Let's hope they sort them out before hitting us with a fee for parking!!

Agreed...

bwardrop

Of course there are going to be teething problems - even the best thought out plans are susceptible to human error - such as someone forgetting their WIT Card. I presume if you forget your WIT Card you simply buzz the WIT Card office who can let you in. An email to all staff today explained that there will be a CCTV link to the Card office - they will see who you are and what car you are driving.

The point re: illegal spaces is a non-runner - they are illegal and do not exist. They can not be brought to any argument. A previous poster mentioned the fact that the majority of cars belong to students. The vast majority of students live within a couple of miles of the college and could (should?) car pool - or god forbid - walk or cycle to college. I pass by Templar's Hall every morning and recognize plenty of students driving to the college. That is about 1km.... I live over 16kms away and manage to cycle in regularly...

This (the poor choice of transport) is also true for staff. However, although the relative % may be similar, the volume is on the students side.

As for delivery vans not being able to access via the back car park - the problem again arises from illegally parked cars. Everyone seems to forget - having a car and driving to work / college is a privilege, not a right. People seem to think that because they drove to WIT, they can abandon their cars anywhere. If there are no parking spaces available - then yeah, you have to find somewhere else to park and walk to the college.

Finally - you may have a point re: the bus being too high - but then again, seeing as it is run by the college, I'm guessing they could just phone the WIT card office?

There will be teething problems, but the majority of these, as with the many of the existing problems in the college may be attributed to the selfish actions of a minority and / or the odd bit of human error.

Sully

The illegal parked cars wont be fixed, as there are not enough clamps and afaik WIT still dont have offical permission to clamp. So, the question reamins how will deliveries gain access?

I assume if CCTV is at the enterance, the bus and others who require access but cant buz will be left in. If its monitored.

So what about the turning space if cars are refused?

bwardrop

I agree - this is not going to solve the problem of illegally parked cars on campus, but it will eliminate them in the front car park. This will allow attention to be focussed on the other car parks which may have some effect.

The college can clamp cars - this was resolved last semester when the by-laws were changed. There were a number of cars clamped in the front car park today.

There will be a sign at the entrance of the car park to inform people whether the car park is full or not. I'm not sure if this will indicate the number of spaces available or not.

Finally - if you forget your card you can buzz the card office. If for some reason you are not allowed entry, they can still open the barrier and let you drive in and straight back out again - the CCTV will allow identification of the cars. If the person is a chancer and does not exit, they can be clamped. Pretty straightforward.

tiny-tyno

Just want to know if anyone else out there thinks its a discrase that you now have to pay to park in the front car park in the college, from what is been said this will also come into affect in the back car park come september, it cost the college 25,000 euro to put in place the barriers in the front plus they hired two full time staff to mandate this.i believe that this is goin to cause major problems not only for the college but for the local residents around lismore park browns road area, it has already started but if the pay for parking continues god only knows what lismore park will become, i dont live in lismore park but i do feel sorry for the residents who will have to put up with this right out side there door.

if anyone has anything to say about this please leave posts

merlante

tiny-tyno wrote: »

Just want to know if anyone else out there thinks its a discrase that you now have to pay to park in the front car park in the college, from what is been said this will also come into affect in the back car park come september, it cost the college 25,000 euro to put in place the barriers in the front plus they hired two full time staff to mandate this.i believe that this is goin to cause major problems not only for the college but for the local residents around lismore park browns road area, it has already started but if the pay for parking continues god only knows what lismore park will become, i dont live in lismore park but i do feel sorry for the residents who will have to put up with this right out side there door.

if anyone has anything to say about this please leave posts

What is the practice at other colleges?

tiny-tyno

From what i am aware only limerick IT have pay for parking in place and it is 5€ a day

christophicus

This has been discussed on the WIT Forum quite a bit as of late.

As far as I am aware you do not actually pay for parking. You just need a WIT card to get in. I would imagine the attendants will only be there for the first while untill people get used to it.

tiny-tyno

to enter into the college your card has to be updated to allow you access to the front car park, my lecturer was discussing this the other say and they said that when a woman in front of them swiped her card it took over 3e from it, i havnt tried to park there as of yet but i will have a go this week and let everyone know exactly what going on

Billy the Kid98

So you DO have to pay for it! Thats not good, people hate having to pay for something that was once free, like the bin charge for example.
Its abit rich considering its surrounded by industrial estates who dont charge for their employees parking. But id imagine that like everything people will just get on with it.:D

christophicus

Yeah your card does need to be updated, just as it did for the vending machines. I recon they will go around updating them next year the way they did earlier on this year.

Still don't think you have to pay though.

Heres the WIT forum thread.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055262162&page=2

tiny-tyno

What i cant get is how they can justify spending so much money on this system when students cant even print off notes or have proper access to decent computing systems durning the day with out having to search the I.T building for free class rooms,,

it takes them years so solve one simple problem but when they want to take money off you they do it in a flash

Sully

You are not being charged for parking.

Topic Merged.

tiny-tyno

Why would the college spend so much money if they are not going to charge then i just cant see them not charging, if they are not going to charge now they may do in sept

Sully

tiny-tyno wrote: »

Just want to know if anyone else out there thinks its a discrase that you now have to pay to park in the front car park in the college, from what is been said this will also come into affect in the back car park come september, it cost the college 25,000 euro to put in place the barriers in the front plus they hired two full time staff to mandate this.i believe that this is goin to cause major problems not only for the college but for the local residents around lismore park browns road area, it has already started but if the pay for parking continues god only knows what lismore park will become, i dont live in lismore park but i do feel sorry for the residents who will have to put up with this right out side there door.

if anyone has anything to say about this please leave posts

Whatever about the costs, the idea is to prevent non-WIT students parking in there. Its also to prevent cars parking illegaly. Your not being charged, its free to park in the front and back and there are no plans to bring it out in the back.

The system is monitored by the WIT Card office, the same staff that have always been present.

Sully

tiny-tyno wrote: »

What i cant get is how they can justify spending so much money on this system when students cant even print off notes or have proper access to decent computing systems durning the day with out having to search the I.T building for free class rooms,,

The IT Building is mainly for lectures, and not to be used as an internet cafe. However, it is frustrating for those who need internet access and can not get a room - but alas, nothing anybody can really do about that. The library has some good PCs with more to come over the summer thank god.

it takes them years so solve one simple problem but when they want to take money off you they do it in a flash

Can you provide other examples? There is no charge for WIT parking and afaik there are no plans to charge for it.

christophicus

I know this is OT, but it would be great if they set up network printers so that you could pront off of laptops and would not have to find a free IT room.

tiny-tyno

Not eveyone has printers at home and as it is a college printing off assisments , notes from wct ect can only be done with a printer and by logging into the computers in the college then having a proper computer is critical, even in the thesis room i was trying to print off some things and wen i went to the printer it was down , therefore im stucj not being able to take the information i need out of the room hence having to leave it behind, then inform the shop that its broken come back later to see if it is back up again, time wasting annoying and also being in 4th year time is precious and having this like this maybe it may seem small to others causes a disruption.

CantGetNoSleep

merlante wrote: »

What is the practice at other colleges?

UCC - have a similar barrier system in place - but it is only staff allowed into this car park, no students. There is a small security hut near the barrier so they can see when the bus is coming and raise the barrier, it is the same for deliveries, but no deliveries are allowed during rush hours, ie 8.30-9.30, 12.30-2.30 and 4.30-6.00 or something like that

There is a seperate visitors car park which some students can park in, think it costs around 1€ per hour. Apart from that students have to find a space on surrounding streets which are all disc parking. A lot of students end up spending €30 or more a week on parking.

I'd consider yourselves lucky

junkster12345

the bank parking is ridiculous, about 10 spaces for an extremely busy bank,