The introduction from next Monday of parking charges at the rail station in Athy is being strongly criticised as “anti commuter” by Cllr Richard Daly, leas-Cathaoirleach of Athy Town Council.
“In an era when we should be prioritising public transport and making every effort to take traffic off of our roads the introduction of parking charges at railway stations is counter productive. The rail system is already being subsidised by the same taxpayer who is now further being charged for using the service.
Not only is the commuter being charged twice but the very imposition of this charge is like a supermarket putting a fee on its car park. It makes bad business sense. In the cases where supermarket have fee paying car parks they provide a validation system to allow free parking to customers. Surely Iarnród Eireann should adopt a similar approach.
The provision of a security guard who would patrol the parking area would also be a much more acceptable alternative to the CCTV which is in operation at rail car parks. This might help to prevent damage or theft rather than a camera system which, from my own personal experience, can supply you with a record of when your property was taken or damaged.
Commuters who opt for public transport are already faced with transport difficulties in the city unless they are fortunate enough to work adjacent to the Luas line. The lack of an underground or overground system which access the wider city puts added difficulty of those who chose the green option and the introduction of parking charges makes it a more unfriendly option.” Said Cllr Daly
“Public transport must be made the cheapest and friendliest option if commuters are to convert to it.” He added
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