Leixlip Louisa bridge parking charges

[Derek Wheeler]

This issue was flagged in the Kildare media by P11. Kildare post ran the story, that included P11 and Catherine Murphy. The statement issued was as follows;

“ The introduction of car parking charges in Leixlip rail stations is further evidence that the Park n Ride concept is failing. Station car parks throughout Kildare are already bursting at the seams. Introducing a charge is just another catalyst for rail users to bypass the station car park and continue their journey by road. Irish Rail don’t give a damn. They’ll just take the revenue and run. It’s totally counter-productive to what we should be doing. Poor parking facilities and a charge, can only lead to a backlash from already hardpressed commuters. Unfortunetly this backlash will result in more cars on the road. It’s about time that Kildare county council took a lead and started to examine initiatives that promoted reliable local bus routes serving outlying areas and connecting with rail stations. It isn’t feasible to build multi-story car parks at all stations. We can’t possibly expect to always meet demand for car spaces. We have to start thinking outside the box we’re in. Address the car dependency. This is where the importance of local transport initiatives comes in. Solve that problem and the station car park becomes a luxury rather than a dreaded necessity.”