DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL’S parking enforcement department is considering a pilot scheme to deter “increasingly problematic” match day parking on residential streets near Croke Park.

Separately, city-wide increases in the price of residents’ parking permits are also mooted in a discussion paper circulated to councillors on updating the capital’s parking bye-laws. 

Several councillors on the Mobility and Public Realm committee, which will discuss the draft policy suggestions at a meeting this afternoon, told The Journal last night that they would not support increased fees for residents’ parking permits. These are purchased by households that do not have a driveway or other off-street parking.

The discussion paper to be tabled by officials also suggests that drivers of electric cars could be exempted from any increases in pay and display parking charges in the capital over the next five years, to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the city.

However, this proposal will also receive pushback at tomorrow’s meeting, with the Dublin Commuter Coalition campaign group set to object that this would effectively constitute an inequitable subsidy to the most affluent drivers, and would encourage people to drive what are often larger cars into the city centre.

Croke Park crackdown

The council’s parking enforcement section has suggested removing the option to pay for parking using the Payzone mobile phone app on residential streets near Croke Park.

The mooted pilot measure would mean fans would not be able to top up their parking credit without returning to the parking meter nearest their car.

The parking enforcement section said match day parking in residential areas near the stadium has become “increasingly problematic” and has “led to a series of complaints” to the council.

Previously, this was addressed with a two-hour cap on parking on nearby residential streets. However, this measure has been negated by the popularity of the app, which allows people to remotely top up their parking credit before it expires.

Major match days at Croke Park bring significantly increased traffic on roads into Dublin city, with fans parking on residential streets across the northside, even as far as over two kilometres from the stadium. Fans are often parked from several hours before throw-in until late in the evening. 

With a capacity of 82,000, Croke Park is one of Europe’s largest stadiums. The GAA has been approached for comment.

Some councillors told The Journal they would support the proposed pilot, although councillors added there was also an urgent need for stronger enforcement of illegal parking – such as on footpaths – on match days.

Daniel Ennis, a Social Democrats councillor for the north inner city, said he’d back the pilot, but added that more engagement between the GAA and the community and council was needed.

“I love the buzz when Croker is on, but when you can’t get out of your road or your garden, how can anyone stand over that?” Ennis said.

Jason Cullen of the Dublin Commuter Coalition argued that Croke Park residents “do not have an entitlement to that public space”.

“The residents knew they were buying property next to [one of the] biggest stadiums in Europe,” Cullen said.

He will argue at today’s meeting that the option to pay for parking on mobile near Croke Park should be retained as it may be preferred by people who are in the area for other reasons, including those who may find it difficult to walk to find a meter. He will suggest that the option to top up on mobile could be deactivated.

Residents’ parking permits

Council officials will tell this afternoon’s meeting that the price of residential parking permits in the city has not increased since 2011, meaning it has not kept track with either inflation or pay-and-display parking charge increases. The vast majority of residents pay €50 for one year or €80 for two years.

One of the proposals put forward in the discussion paper would be to tie the cost of residents’ permits to the cost of parking per hour. This could see the price of a parking permit in the “yellow” parking zone around the city centre increase from €50 per year to €225 per year, with lower increases in other less central zones.

Micheál MacDonncha of Sinn Féin said this was “out” as far as his party was concerned.

Ennis, of the Social Democrats, said it was not something he would be able to support in the current cost of living crisis. 

Keith Connolly, of Fianna Fáil, noted that most people who buy residents’ parking permits have no other parking options as they live in flats or terraced houses with no driveways.

Janet Horner of the Green Party, the chair of the mobility committee, said any change to parking permit charges needed to be part of a comprehensive strategy, which could look at things like graduated charges based on the number of cars per household.

She warned there could be a risk that a steep increase in the price of residents’ permits would undermine regulation, as it could deter residents from opting into the pay-and-display system.

Whether there is paid parking on residential roads in Dublin, and for what hours, is often decided on a street by street basis, using local plebiscites.

Feljin Jose of the Green Party noted that the council is charging cyclists €100 to rent a space in a “bike bunker”, which is twice the price of a resident’s parking permit.

Cullen, of the Dublin Commuter Coalition, said the price of a car parking space should be brought to the level the council is charging for the bunkers, which can each fit six bikes.

“It should be €600 for the whole parking space, possibly more,” Cullen said.