Ongoing parking concerns spark debate in Galway city – ‘it’s absolutely ridiculous’
Shop keepers around major Galway City commuter parking points have called the price of parking “ridiculous” as they commented on the various effects of poor parking services.
Galway City Council discussed these issues at length during a meeting last month.
What began as a routine approval of Corporate Policy Meeting notes at City Hall quickly turned into a heated debate over accessibility and payment zones.
At the top of the list of concerns were older people struggling with the app and the 65pc of parking machines that remain out of order according to Galway City Councillor Donal Lyons.
While some councillors argued that motorists can still pay through the app or in designated Payzone shops, they admitted guidance to these options is limited.
“It’s not obvious you can do other payments other than the app,” Councillor Eibhlín Seoighthe said, noting that this poses a challenge for people without smartphones or with limited mobility.
“A payzone shop that might be a couple minutes down the road might not be a couple of minutes for a person with disabilities or someone who doesn’t know their way around,” she added.
The frustration for residents and councillors stems from inconsistency throughout the city. Some machines work, some don’t, the councillors argued, some allow “pay and display,” others only accept the app. Rates also vary between hourly charges and flat fees.
Patryck Seaman, who works at a retail store on the Westend, told the Irish Independent the lack of clear direction on these parking spaces tends to “disrupt” business.
The store faces a 20-space car park with a machine the reads “out of order” and provides three options to pay by app, Payzone, or through a phone number.
Mr Seaman said: “I wouldn't say there is a single demographic, even locals are asking. Obviously, there's a lot of people who can't use the apps or find it difficult to use their devices to be able to get to these websites.”
“With the tourists, it was a nightmare because the app was allocated to only be allowed to be downloaded if you set your App Store to Ireland,” he added.
Mr Seaman also stated that the machines went out of service “with no communication” whatsoever besides the large notice sign taped over the buttons.
Late last year Galway City Council transferred parking payment servicing to an online app.
A court case with parking meter company UTS Technologies threatened the continuation of card and coin payments in UTS-managed machines. It ultimately resulted in the contract with UTS being dropped and the inability for the machines to take payment in that way. The case is currently under judicial review.
This leaves limited options for commuters. Councillor Mike Cubbard said it’s leaving the council “looking incompetent as the local authority.”
Galway City Council Finance Director Helen Kilroy communicated that parking income was budgeted for €2.9m this year and had generated €1.66m up to the end of July.
Previous years since 2022 saw an income of less than €2m annually, showing that paid parking is generating an income.
Carmel Flynn at Visage salon on Market Street said customer complaints and frustrations are a common occurrence when coming into the city for services.
She told the Irish Independent: “Mostly it's the app that is not user friendly, they still have the coin machines there and they're all saying that they're not working.”
“Also, the price of parking in Galway city is absolutely ridiculous. They're not enticing people to come into the city at all, they're paying for a service to come to Visage and then they must pay for their parking on top of that.”
Ms Flynn commutes into the city so she has first hand experience of fitting parking into the monthly budget. Coming from the countryside by Headford every day, she paid €5 a day at the Dyke Road car park. Until a strange January morning two years ago, when she pulled into an increased rate of €6.50 without warning.
Other businesses pointed to towns with more straightforward systems. Staff at Corless Formalwear on Lower Dominick Street said they receive fewer complaints than expected but noted the appeal of cheaper alternatives. In Athlone, for example, motorists pay an all-day rate of €3.50.
In Galway City, the standard rate is €2 an hour — a cost, councillors and business owners say, that adds to the frustration of machines that cannot be relied upon.
Making all options equally available to drivers is the unanimous feedback from these shop owners to mediate frustrations. “I think they should be the option to pay with card and cash in the machines or to use the app. Those should be the three options. They're available to everybody,” Ms Carmel said.
Or go back to the good old fashioned ways, Mr Seaman added: “Just allow people to pay by coins, it's the easiest solution. Everyone knows how to do it. It's simple. It's easy. No matter what language you speak, it's very easy to understand.”