Liffey valley to start charging for parking

Not sure, two of my teenage daughters work there (in clothing retail) and they reported this week was busy. I'd say for the likes of M&S who got a lot of people just hopping in to do a quick grocery shop, it will be bad. Cinema is as busy as it ever was (they validate parking ticket for free)

Not sure how it will be for the takeaways, 15 minutes free parking is tight, they could have done 30 minutes. Personally I wouldn't want to be paying €15 for a takeaway that used to cost €12.50

I'd imagine for every person complaining about it in this forum, there are another 20000 shoppers continuing to go about their normal business at LV like they do at Dundrum, Pavillions, Jervis, Ilac, Stephen's Green etc where paid parking is the norm. No one likes having to pay for parking but locals saying they'll now travel to Blanch (where they either pay 2 tolls and/or endure an extra half an hour each way of a congested M50 or back roads) just to save 2.50 (what about the extra fuel/toll/time etc) seems self defeating and cutting off your nose to spite your face.

However I don't like how LV has pitched the reasoning for paid parking. "To discourage non users of the shopping centre from using the carpark." How big an issue was that truly? I'd imagine very few people drive to LV to park and use facilities outside the SC? Any of the adjacent businesses/hotel/car dealerships etc there all have customer parking.

I can't understand what it is about the introduction of paid parking in LV in particular that has people so incensed. As has been mentioned, paid parking is the norm in plenty of other shopping centres and never attracted the ire that this has. I also don't get the "poor staff" argument - the vast, vast, vast majority of working people in this country incur a cost in getting themselves to work. I work in the city centre, it costs me €4 a day to get the bus in and out or if I want to drive, it'll cost me the guts of €30 a day for parking.

Yeah, the reasons given for bringing it in are cynical at best - just admit that you needed another revenue stream - and the whole pay-on-exit thing is absolutely nonsensical but I still can't quite get my head around how affronted people are by the whole thing. It's bizarre.

Because they quite simply are asking you to pay for the privilege of spending money in their shops

Its not that simple at all and yes of course most other Dublin shopping centres do charge to park, like the Square and the Pavilions.

LV's problem is that they have been there 30 years or so and never done it before and long time customers probably feel like they spend more than enough there to justify free parking on site.

Also, they have sought to introduce these charges in the teeth of the biggest consumer belt-tightening period in 14 odd years. They have also been publicised treating the staff on site pretty ruthlessly in the same move and people don't like to see poorly paid workers be the butt of any policy. Thats before we even mention that the IT system to manage parking, is completely crap.

No doubt LV would protest and trot out all the planning conditions they are subject to and the sustainability obligations and the proposed improvements of bus services to the area etc, but ordinary punters don't give two shytes about any of that guff and irrespective of all the public relations bulldust, all people know is that they are being charged for something that they were not been charged for before and if they have a choice they will go somewhere else, even if that somewhere else charged to park all along.

However LVs biggest issue right now, apart from the poor publicity, is its nearest competition, Blanchardstown, remains free. And no amount of green credentials will change the damage to them from all the above.

It'll be very interesting to see how long their tenants put up with the losses they are seeing....

I'm glad to have another reason to go somewhere else to be honest. It's a kip.

Well said, that's it in a nutshell really.

While I'm annoyed at the charges and haven't been since, I don't know why you think it's a kip. It's pretty good shopping centre and the cinema end is great. In what way is it a kip?

On a side note, was in the retail park today wouldn't be surprised if that's where the staff park now as loads of cars there

I can imagine employing the lads with the cones (there must be a dozen of them at any one time) costs more than the parking fees generate. Ridiculous implementation.

I don't shop anywhere I have to pay.

Lets assume at 50% capacity. That's 1750 cars @ €2 (excl vat) - €3500 per hour. Even allowing average stay of 90 min, that's €2,333

12 lads @ €17 an hour (incl employee prsi + holiday) = €204 per hour

Net income per hour €2129

I also believe most retailers are in favour and I know of one that says it has improved business by a noticeable amount

Anyone else notice when going from Argos/B&Q side back towards the centre the time at the new set of traffic lights is painfully short? Took almost 15 minutes at 11 in the morning to get through the junction. Surely they couldn't keep these lights timed like this...

The middle car park is still closed?

Was there today, god help us with the traffic lights. Hopefully it'll be a lot better when other lanes are open