Free Car Parking for Christmas Shopping Cork City

JP Liz V1

Source

Cork City Council has announced an extended free parking initiative in a bid to boost pre-Christmas trade in the city.
Last night, city manager Tim Lucey unveiled the measures, which include free late-night parking and a free park-and-ride service on Saturdays.
But he urged private car park operators to come on board.
Mr Lucey said that, following last year’s four-week free parking initiative, it had been hoped to run a more structured scheme this year, in conjunction with the business sector.
"While meetings have been held with the business sector to progress such a model, no firm solution has emerged at this stage from the sector," he said.
"Despite this, the city council does wish to do all it can to continuously promote and support the city economy."
In a detailed report, Mr Lucey told councillors he has extended this year’s initiative to six weeks to include:
Free parking in Paul St and North Main St car parks between 10am and 12pm Monday to Thursday, from Oct 22;
Free parking in Paul St car park from 6.30pm to 12am on Thursdays and Fridays from Oct 25 to facilitate late-night shoppers;
A free park-and-ride service on Saturdays from the Black Ash site.
"This is in particular to encourage and attract families to the city at weekends to enjoy the city centre vibrancy, quality of retailing, hospitality and entertainment offering," said Mr Lucey.
He said the council will promote its award-winning Cork Christmas Celebration, which begins on Friday, Nov 30.
"The total value of these measures, through a combination of income foregone and spending, is estimated to be in the order of €120,000," he said.
The Cork Business Association welcomed the initiative.
"We welcome this with open arms," said CBA chief executive Donal Healy.
"Last year’s free parking resulted in 2,662 extra cars coming in to the participating car parks, resulting in a 4% increase in footfall," said Mr Healy.
Cllr Ken O’Flynn (FF) welcomed the initiative, but said it did not go far enough.
"This is simply a bandage across the crack," he said.
"We should be actively engaging with traders to do everything in our powers to support them."

Hopefully more car parks around the city will be free for certain time periods preferably Grand Parade and Merchants Quay which are very expensive as it is

Lemmy Scott

JP Liz V1 wrote: »

Source

Cork City Council has announced an extended free parking initiative in a bid to boost pre-Christmas trade in the city.
Last night, city manager Tim Lucey unveiled the measures, which include free late-night parking and a free park-and-ride service on Saturdays.
But he urged private car park operators to come on board.
Mr Lucey said that, following last year’s four-week free parking initiative, it had been hoped to run a more structured scheme this year, in conjunction with the business sector.
"While meetings have been held with the business sector to progress such a model, no firm solution has emerged at this stage from the sector," he said.
"Despite this, the city council does wish to do all it can to continuously promote and support the city economy."
In a detailed report, Mr Lucey told councillors he has extended this year’s initiative to six weeks to include:

* Free parking in Paul St and North Main St car parks between 10am and 12pm Monday to Thursday, from Oct 22;

* Free parking in Paul St car park from 6.30pm to 12am on Thursdays and Fridays from Oct 25 to facilitate late-night shoppers;
* A free park-and-ride service on Saturdays from the Black Ash site.
"This is in particular to encourage and attract families to the city at weekends to enjoy the city centre vibrancy, quality of retailing, hospitality and entertainment offering," said Mr Lucey.
He said the council will promote its award-winning Cork Christmas Celebration, which begins on Friday, Nov 30.
"The total value of these measures, through a combination of income foregone and spending, is estimated to be in the order of €120,000," he said.
The Cork Business Association welcomed the initiative.
"We welcome this with open arms," said CBA chief executive Donal Healy.
"Last year’s free parking resulted in 2,662 extra cars coming in to the participating car parks, resulting in a 4% increase in footfall," said Mr Healy.
Cllr Ken O’Flynn (FF) welcomed the initiative, but said it did not go far enough.
"This is simply a bandage across the crack," he said.
"We should be actively engaging with traders to do everything in our powers to support them."

Pie in the sky figure pure made up

castie

JP Liz V1 Please dont start a thread unless you are actually discussing the content. It is not acceptable to start a thread with a pasted article only.

eth0

Parking in Cork is a fooking rip off. Anyone remember the good old free underground car park by the brewery?

kingtut

eth0 wrote: »

Parking in Cork is a fooking rip off.

You can say that again!

... and as far as I know the outdoor one on Grand Parade which is advertised as the best value in the city is actually one of the most expensive at €2.80 an hour !!

dulpit

Parking is both a rip-off and a joke, driving to town is bloody difficult at all times of day and night...

If they really wanted to encourage more people coming into town, make the on-street parking free too...

Lemmy Scott

:rolleyes:

castie wrote: »

JP Liz V1 Please dont start a thread unless you are actually discussing the content. It is not acceptable to start a thread with a pasted article only.

The person did discuss it at the ed of the article what are you on about ?

dulpit

Lemmy Scott wrote: »

:rolleyes:
The person did discuss it at the ed of the article what are you on about ?

Check the time of Castie's comment and the last edit time on the OP...

hoodwinked

im surprised on street parking isn't getting some free hours, even if it does stop at 18.30 anyway...

JP Liz V1

Lemmy Scott wrote: »

:rolleyes:
The person did discuss it at the ed of the article what are you on about ?

I edited my post after that but thanks anyways

54kroc

But he urged private car park operators to come on board.

Am I right in thinking that he's urging private car park owners to offer free parking?

run_Forrest_run

the city has shot itself in the foot and it's now they only realise it. With rip off parking fees (from the council and private operators) why would anyone with a famliy (& car) bother come into the dump that is town.
Most people have switched to the out of town shopping centres, as lifeless as they are they tick all the boxes for convenience.

Milly33

Tis after turning into a dump. Went in last weekend and we dont normally and even looking around it is madness to see how shabby they have left it go. After spending all that money on those daft street lights and paving everything.. They should let some graffiti artist go mad on the some of the abdoneded buildings and brighten the place up, even to see the cineplex still closed up is sadening..

As for the parking I really hope they would do something like the free parking at christmas or the first few hours free.. the Council have detroyed the trade there with making taking away most of if not all of the free parking.

JP Liz V1

Any free parking this year for November?

run_Forrest_run

I can't see anything yet on the City Council website. The only thing they have said is Park & Ride (Black Ash) will be operating on Sunday (13th) for the official turning on of the lights.

BullBlackNova

http://www.eveningecho.ie/cork-news/free-parking-spaces-will-boost-trade-city/2546435/

Same initiative as the last few years. Ends on November 19th

whisky_galore

Getting harder and harder to find on street parking spaces these days esp in the evenings.

I like the idea of the Coke bikes, but why oh why do the stations have to take up so much space?

ofcork

Wardens were out in force yesterday.

namloc1980

whisky_galore wrote: »

Getting harder and harder to find on street parking spaces these days esp in the evenings.

I like the idea of the Coke bikes, but why oh why do the stations have to take up so much space?

The amount of space they take up is greatly exaggerated and has been since the Cork bikes came into being. South Mall and College of Commerce are cited as examples of lost spaces, 13 or 14 between the two maybe. Many of the city centre Cork Bikes stations are in locations that did not impact on car parking at all.

pwurple

Smug git alert! Sorry in advance but the electric car free spaces in car parks and on-street are The absolute JOB in Cork city! 2 years of freeee so far for us electric drivers. Suck on my zero emmisions petrol heads.

FrStone

pwurple wrote: »

Smug git alert! Sorry in advance but the electric car free spaces in car parks and on-street are The absolute JOB in Cork city! 2 years of freeee so far for us electric drivers. Suck on my zero emmisions petrol heads.

Shame you can't go far in them though.

whisky_galore

pwurple wrote: »

Smug git alert! Sorry in advance but the electric car free spaces in car parks and on-street are The absolute JOB in Cork city! 2 years of freeee so far for us electric drivers. Suck on my zero emmisions petrol heads.

Practically useless away from cities and big towns away from charging points.

What are you supposed to do out in the wilds of West Cork, plug it into a tree?

run_Forrest_run

pwurple wrote: »

Smug git alert! Sorry in advance but the electric car free spaces in car parks and on-street are The absolute JOB in Cork city! 2 years of freeee so far for us electric drivers. Suck on my zero emmisions petrol heads.

how many tonnes of coal are burned to generate the electricity for your zero emissions car?

the beer revolu

run_Forrest_run wrote: »

how many tonnes of coal are burned to generate the electricity for your zero emissions car?

This.
I'm not saying that electric cars aren't a good thing but this zero emissions claim is utter horse sheet.

Mrs OBumble

namloc1980 wrote: »

The amount of space they take up is greatly exaggerated and has been since the Cork bikes came into being. South Mall and College of Commerce are cited as examples of lost spaces, 13 or 14 between the two maybe. Many of the city centre Cork Bikes stations are in locations that did not impact on car parking at all.

Especially in Galway!

namloc1980

I see the City council are doing the 2017 budget tonight. Some of the measures include: increase to rates, some increases to parking charges, cuts to Glow Christmas event amongst some other things. This is to plug a €1.6m hole in the finances. Killing off what's left of city centre business.

pwurple

run_Forrest_run wrote: »

how many tonnes of coal are burned to generate the electricity for your zero emissions car?

http://smartgriddashboard.eirgrid.com/

Take a look yourself. ~40% renewables this morning. 13% coal. Still roughly a bazillion* times more efficient than an internal combustion relic burning 100% fossils.




*not actually a bazillion for the internet nerds.

Padraig Mor

FrStone wrote: »

Shame you can't go far in them though.

whisky_galore wrote: »

Practically useless away from cities and big towns away from charging points.

What are you supposed to do out in the wilds of West Cork, plug it into a tree?

I manage to go East Cork - Tralee return in a day without issue in mine. East Cork to Clonakility return can be done without charging. Chargers in Skib, Bantry, Glengarriff and Castletown Bearhaven too.

Cork Lass

pwurple wrote: »

Smug git alert! Sorry in advance but the electric car free spaces in car parks and on-street are The absolute JOB in Cork city! 2 years of freeee so far for us electric drivers. Suck on my zero emmisions petrol heads.

Double smug git alert from me. I work in the city and have 24/7 parking :pac::pac:

Missyelliot2

namloc1980 wrote: »

I see the City council are doing the 2017 budget tonight. Some of the measures include: increase to rates, some increases to parking charges, cuts to Glow Christmas event amongst some other things. This is to plug a €1.6m hole in the finances. Killing off what's left of city centre business.

I heard some business owners speaking about this on the radio - they own small shops on North Main Street- it was really heartbreaking to hear- so wrong. Cork City Centre should be thriving, vibrant and business should be encouraged and excited to trade here- but the reality is so different- parking is so expensive and the number of businesses that have ceased trading on Patrick Street makes it feel dead and depressed.
If the City Council decide to raise rates while increasing parking charges....there is no hope for the small, quirky traders, craftspeople and restaurants - the things that make a city, feel like a town.

pwurple

whisky_galore wrote: »

Practically useless away from cities and big towns away from charging points.

What are you supposed to do out in the wilds of West Cork, plug it into a tree?

Fnar fnar Trees. I use any of the many charge points down there. And hotels usually have them. I was in baltimore last week.