Let the people who live in the city, park in the city

Cork City Council's new regulations on the issuing of residents parking permits unfairly discriminates against vehicle owners that live in apartments/multi-storey buildings. It is next or near impossible to get a residents parking permit in the city, even after fulfilling all the criteria, which now includes a letter from the Private Residential Tenancies Board (which costs 70.00 for the first registration of a tenant by a Landlord its a hard enough job getting the landlord to shell out for this in the first place). Vehicle owners that live in apartment blocks/multi dwelling buildings can have their application declined on the basis that parking areas were constructed with the block. So what!! Landlords of apartments in apartment blocks are the owners of the parking spaces also and are entitled to rent these spaces, not necessarily to the residents of the apartments. Go into any underground car park and you will see plenty of BMWs and Mercs. If members of the public can pay for the luxury of these underground car parks, why cant residents of the apartments that cannot afford such luxury pay the residents permit application fee to park on the street?

Mission Statement from Cork City Councils website.

We will be a responsive and innovative local authority, central to improving the quality of life within Cork and taking the lead role in meeting the needs of our communities.

Central to improving the quality of life, in my opinion does not involve creating a regulation with such inflexibility that it seriously reduces the quality of life of the residents of apartments/multi storey dwelling in the city centre. For young professionals living in the city who are already priced out of the housing market and are paying rents anywhere from 800.00 per month to 1,200.00 per month they cannot pay the exorbitant prices charged for the underground car parking.

In Glasgow in 2002 residents won a three-year campaign for the introduction of parking permits. From the Scotsman on the 20 Dec 2002:- Merchant City resident, Charles McDonagh, 25, said: "This has been a long time coming, and Im glad that Ill be able to park my car in peace. "Property prices in this area are increasing, but have been held back by the lack of available parking. "I have seen my car towed away on two occasions in recent years and been hit with numerous parking tickets. "The council has been encouraging people to reclaim the city centre as a residential area, so its only right that we be afforded parking privileges enjoyed elsewhere in the city."

Cork City Council in recent years, has been trying to encourage people back to live in the city centre, with schemes such as the live over a shop scheme".

This regulation is in effect pushing people back to the suburbs as it is a fact that people own cars and indeed from the minutes of ordinary meeting of Cork City Council held on Monday 10th March 2003

Disc Parking - The purpose of pay parking controls is to generate turnover of spaces. The more cars that can use a space the more customers we have for the city centre to transact business or social activities.

It is a fact that most people that live in the city centre have jobs outside of the city centre,one only needs to look at the available spaces in the city centre every morning, so those spaces for shoppers etc would still be available during the day. If you dare to sleep in past 8.30 am on a Saturday morning there is the possibility your car will be towed when you awake. How does this situation improve quality of life? For city dwellers that are not from the city, and have relatives/parents in different counties and may need their cars at a moments notice in case of an illness etc. Even bringing back shopping you cant park your car and unload it near your apartment because you may be slapped with a ticket in the meantime. How does this improve quality of life?

Looking at the regulation from The Philadelphia Parking Authority Residents in eligible areas can purchase parking permits that exempt them from meter and time limit restrictions on posted blocks. These permits assist residents in finding parking spaces near their home, enhancing quality of life in residential areas with insufficient on-street parking such as those that are adjacent to businesses, transit facilities or large institutions

It seems that our stateside cousins have well copped on to the fact that people have cars and need to park them near their homes to have a quality of life that is afforded to everyone else outside the city centre or do Cork City Council not classify apartments as people's homes.

Cork City Council need to have a serious look at this regulation and change it for the benefit of city dwellers the city centre desperately needs to hold on to.