DUBLIN CITY council is considering reducing on-street parking charges at specific times of the day in a bid to encourage shoppers into the city centre.
The move follows concern among city traders that on-street charges – which rise to €2.90 per hour in the most expensive central business district or yellow zone – are forcing shoppers to switch to out-of-town shopping centres.
The Dublin City Business Association (DCBA) also said many privately owned car parks which employ security staff are now cheaper to use than on-street parking.
Privately operated parking is now available in many parts of the city’s yellow zone for €1.50 per hour and, in many cases, there is a maximum charge of €10 per day.
DCBA spokesman Tom Coffey has accused the Dublin City Council of being “ideologically opposed to the car” and “letting that ideological position confuse all-day parking by commuters with a genuine need for shoppers’ parking to keep the commercial core of the city going”.
The council’s review of its parking policy and parking control byelaws will be presented to the council’s Transportation and Traffic Strategic Policy Committee next month.
Following this, there will be a period of public consultation if amendments are made to the byelaws.
The council has stressed that the review does not propose a blanket reduction in tariffs but will consider amending specific pricing systems and, in particular, payment methods. The charges were last reviewed in December, when they were increased.
In a statement, the council’s roads and traffic department said: “It is not proposed to review the current tariffs. However, the possibility of reducing tariffs as certain times, and by certain payment methods, to encourage shoppers to come into the city centre is under consideration as part of the above mentioned review.”
According to the statement: “Commercial car parks have recently introduced initiatives such as special prices on all-dayparking” while the city policy was “to discourage all-day parking to free spaces for shoppers”.
Gina Quin, chief executive of the Dublin Chamber of Commerce, maintained if the objective of increasing parking rates is to free up parking spaces in the city for shoppers, “parking should be free on Saturdays and Sundays”.
“Shoppers who travel by car typically spend as much as four times more than shoppers who use public transport,” she added.
