Car parking shouldn’t be a source of councils’ funding
Figures in a 2010 report for the Irish Parking Association show that nationally, Irish local authorities accounted for 27% of car-parking capacity and 33% of parking revenue. The local council component of the business accounted for €115 million in annual revenue. In their submission, the cyclists point out that car parking revenue gives local authority managers a financial motive to prioritise cars over other forms of transport.
This conflict of interest has strong negative implications for state transport policy. To fix the problem, the cyclists are proposing a system of strategic parking levies.
A system of car-parking levies would also have wider uses such as providing support for commerce in town centres and support for anti-congestion projects such as park and ride schemes. Such levies could be used to provide a level-playing field between hard-pressed town centres and out-of-town shopping centres that should not have been allowed in the first place.
In a discussion document passed to the Department of Finance, we cyclists point out that the state has invested in measures intended to promote sustainable travel such as walking, cycling and public transport, yet little overall growth has been seen. The way councils use funds for sustainable transport often creates new problems or avoids fixing old ones.
What is worse is that a situation continues where state funds meant to support sustainable transport end up being used essentially to facilitate car travel. Irish cycle lanes often seem to disappear just where they are needed, with cyclists finding their way blocked by parked cars and traffic jams.
Other negative impacts include creating one-way streets so that additional road space can be used for car parking. Often this has the practical effect of making it impossible for children to cycle to school.
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