HALF of all the spaces in multistorey car parks in the centre of Dublin are probably being used for all day parking by commuters, contradicting the whole thrust of transport planning in the city, according to the findings of an on the spot survey by Dublin Corporation.
Multi storey car parking is currently the largest single category of development under construction in the city centre. This boom has been fuelled by generous tax incentives, which allow developers to write off half the capital cost and operators to claim double rent allowances.
Until 1990, Dublin had only four multi storey car parks, which provided a total of 2,165 spaces. Since then, 10 more have been built, providing a further 4,069 spaces. Eight more are due to open this year which, with their 2,869 spaces, will bring the total to just over 9,100.
Clearly, there is money to be made from car parking in Dublin. A newly developed multi storey car park on the Custom House Docks site, for sale by tender on March 19th, is expected to make at least £6.5 million or more than £16,500 for each of the 393 parking spaces.
The terms set by the Custom House Docks Development Authority specify that 150 of these spaces must be available for public use" on weekdays and, ultimately, all of them at weekends. But it will be open to the operators to contract 100 spaces to companies trading in the IFSC.
This latter provision contradicts a Dail reply on February 13th by the Minister for Finance, Mr Quinn, that any car park in this area must be "wholly in use for members of the public generally" and that capital allowances "will not apply" if spaces are rented out for long term use.
Nonetheless, it will probably be purchased by investors seeking a convenient tax shelter, rather than by a car park operator such as Irish Car Parks. "We've lost out on a couple of tenders already because we can't compete with these guys," said Mr Paul Flynn, ICP's general manager.
The corporation itself is also actively involved in this burgeoning activity. Just six months after completing a 350 space multistorey car park at Schoolhouse Lane, behind the Mansion House, it is planning to add two more levels (150 spaces) to its Drury Street facility.
Cllr Ciaran Cuffe, transport spokesman for the Green Party, has objected to this scheme, as a local resident. He noted that it is located in an "environmental cell", from which through traffic would be excluded, and that the area already has a dense concentration of car parks.
Apart from the Drury Street car park, with its 500 spaces, there is one around the corner at the St Stephen's Green shopping centre (650 spaces), and another one ink Trinity Street (170 spaces) and a fourth under construction behind the College of Surgeons (575 spaces).
A fifth multi storey car park (380 spaces) is being built at Clarendon Street, with a bridge linking it to Brown Thomas. Throw in the existing car parks at the Mansion House, Temple Bar and the Setanta Centre - all within easy walking distance - and the total for the area exceeds 3,000.
The corporation's survey showed that 65 per cent of existing multi storey car parking spaces are being occupied by cars which park for more than three hours. "This is indicative of an ineffective pricing structure and the presence of commuter parking," it said.
The survey of nine multi storey car parks last summer noted "a large number of arrivals early in the morning", suggesting that a significant number of commuters are using these facilities. "Over 50 per cent of occupied spaces are used by those staying in excess of four hours."
The corporation's parking policy review group concluded that it needs to "clarify urgently its policies towards the provision of further multi storey car parks in the city centre, to ensure that such car parks eater adequately for shop ping, business and leisure trips to the core area".
It favours a system of tiered charges designed to discourage commuter parking, with the scale of tariffs being reviewed annually. This would apply to all multistorey car parks, both existing and proposed, and it is intended to be implemented either by agreement or by licence.
This new system will apply, in the first instance, to the corporation's own multi storey car parks where contract car parking will be banned. Planning conditions on existing car parks in private ownership will also be "strictly enforced" to curtail their use for long term parking.
Discussions will take place with the operators of existing car parks which do not have planning conditions dealing with pricing structures to deter commuter parking with a view to achieving voluntary agreement. Failing this, a licensing system may be imposed.
At present, the average charge for parking a car in a multi storey car park is about £1.20 an hour. However, instead of rising steeply to deter long stay commuters, the current charges generally follow a linear pattern. Thus, it is possible to park for 10 hours or more for just £12.50.
In future, all car park developers will have to submit their pricing structure for written agreement in advance. Where planning conditions are ignored, the corporation "will take immediate action to ensure compliance" and the Revenue Commissioners "may be informed".
Under this more "pro active" policy, car park developers will also have to submit a comprehensive report, based on "up to date factual information", demonstrating a need for the provision of additional short to medium term parking spaces in the vicinity.
A more comprehensive parking survey is to be carried out later this year covering all on street and off street spaces in the inner city, based on the recognition that the provision and control of parking - particularly in the centre - is a "key input" to overall traffic management.
However, Dublin Corporation's staff hardly need to worry they have at least 350 parking spaces beneath the Civic Offices. Andy this is just a fraction of the 20,578 off street parking spaces available to commuters in office block basements and the concreted gardens of Georgian houses.
Ultimately, investors in multistorey car parks will have to consider their long term viability and, in particular, whether they are capable of being converted to other uses in, say, 20 years when cars may no longer have such a dominant role in the urban environment.
Present floor to ceiling heights in car parks, at just eight feet or so, make it more difficult to convert the structures into apartments, offices or other economic uses when the demand for ad lib city centre car parking diminishes.
There are already some interesting examples. One multi storey car park in Munich which ended up in the middle of a large pedestrian area in the city centre is now a block of flats. And the French newspaper, Liberation, has its offices in a car park near the centre of Paris.
