TII seeks pause on moves to increase car parking in Cork city

TII says the proposed changes do not meet the objectives of Government policy, and warns that if the variation is approved, it will encourage private car dependency in the suburbs especially.

Proposed changes to Cork city’s car parking policy could encourage more dependency on the private car, Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) has warned.

The agency said the changes could also potentially undermine the provision of active travel and public transport in the short to medium term, which would have an adverse impact on the national road network.

The stark warnings are contained in TII’s submission on the first proposed variation to the new city development plan 2022-2028 which, after two years of consultation, was adopted by council last June, and took effect on August 8. 

The city has four parking zones — zone one covers the city centre; zone two covers areas accessible to mass transit alongside public transportation corridors; zone three is the city suburbs; and zone four covers the urban towns of Ballincollig, Blarney, Glanmire, Tower, and the city hinterland areas like Kerry Pike, Killeens and Upper Glanmire.

Proposed change

The city development plan sets limits on the amount of parking permitted in each zone, depending on the land use and the type of development proposed.

But the proposed variation seeks to update maximum car parking standards to “largely align the demand management approach” with the current level of public transport provision.

It also wants to update standards as projects in the Cork Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy (CMATS) scheme, such as improvements to the bus network and new bike lanes, are delivered.

Against the backdrop of widespread concern in the city about rising traffic congestion, TII says the overprovision of car parking has the potential to undermine the modal shift away from the private car towards public and active transport.

It says the proposed changes do not meet the objectives of CMATS or Government policy, and warns that if the variation is approved, it will encourage private car dependency in the suburbs especially.

Recommendation

It recommends a pause in the process, and for consultation with the National Transport Authority and TII to develop "an appropriate car-parking regime for the city region”.

In its submission, the development firm, JCD, described the proposed variation as “a reasonable and practical interim approach” to ensure that the economic potential of the city, in particular in its strategic employment areas, can continue to be realised, pending the delivery of CMATS improvements.

However, Green Party Cllr Oliver Moran said the reversal in trajectory is contrary to national policy to encourage active and sustainable transport use.

“It would undermine the city's own ambition as an EU Mission City to be climate neutral by 2030,” he said.

"Maintaining the standards of the adopted development plan is therefore better in presenting a clear statement about the kind of city being planned for," he said.

Consultation on BusConnects is well underway, with delivery expected from 2025 to 2030, works are underway for the delivery of high-frequency commuter rail on the north and east of the city, with a preferred route for a Cork Luas expected in 2023.