Clontarf to City Centre Cycle & Bus Priority Project discussion (renamed)

No, the problem is blocking the bus / cycle lanes for long periods of time. Doesn't matter how expensive or not the car is!

I disagree it would be just moving the problem 10meters down. There is enough space in car park 2, it is just many people are too lazy to walk from it. I'd often see people queuing for a full car park 1, while there are plenty of free spaces in car park 2.

If you put paid parking on car park 1, then you better balance the utility between the two car parks. Price sensitive members would be more likely to use he free parking at car park 2, while the lazy ones can pay €20 or whatever to park next to the door.

This really isn't rocket science.

If you aren't happy with charging for parking, then another solution.

Barriers on car park 1, that only close when the car park is full. But here is the important bit, when this happens, car park 1 remains closed for the next hour or 2, even if some cars leave. Signs clearly showing that car park 1 is closed for the next hour or two.

Would stop people from queueing and would push people to use car park 2 instead at busy times.

Except car park 2 is actually owned by DCC and thus public property, so you'd have to ask why the public taxpayer is allowing an expensive private gym to use this car park?

While strictly speaking you can't force a private company to do anything, the authorities can certainly take various actions that would hurt said private company if they didn't play ball.

For instance DCC could easily pull the use of car park 2 and the NTA install automated bus lane fine cameras outside and leave them deal with the fallout of greatly reduced car park capacity.

So really it is very much in their interest to work with DCC, NTA and the Gardai on coming up with a solution.

Probably the best solution would be for them to build a multi-storey car park. Ironically if DCC weren't leaving them use car park 2 for a song, they would likely have already been forced to do that by now.

BTW, the cycle lane in Fairview Park alongside the Tolka river between Alfie Byrne Road and Fairview is open. Looks like some signage etc. to do yet, but you can cycle it now. A nice addition.

The cycle lane along Alfie Byrne Road from East Point Business Park and down through East Wall is progressing too.

Not to disagree with what you are saying in general, but I just wanted to point out the hypocrisy of this, motorists complaining about having to drive a bit further, when pedestrians and cyclists are forced to travel long distances all over the city due to lack of permeability between streets and estates.

For instance I live about 200 meters as the bird flies from a major bus stop and shops, that I instead have to walk 10 minutes to get to them because of a stupid wall (and just grass both sides) between two housing developments.

I wonder why we worry about the complaints of motorists, while completely ignoring pedestrians and cyclists needs.

The issues on Richmond Road go far beyond just a cycle route. Richmond Road is simply dangerous as is and not fit for purpose. Even if you don't put a cycle lane near it, it still needs to be made one way, just to make it safe, specially as an increasing number of new apartments being built on it.

Frankly it doesn't matter if locals object, it simply isn't safe and it needs to be fixed.