PARKING POSITION PAPER
Mobility Management Partnership Sub-Group
September 2008
INTRODUCTION
This Position Paper has been prepared jointly by Keith Warnock, Vice-President for
Physical Resources, and Mike Moroney, SIPTU Academic Section representative,
with input from representatives of the Students’ Union and those responsible for the
operation of the system, on behalf of the Mobility Management Partnership SubGroup. An earlier version has been considered by the Partnership Group. The analyses
and proposals contained therein have been extensively and constructively discussed in
the spirit of partnership at the Mobility Management Sub-Group, which felt that wider
dissemination and discussion was appropriate before any proposals were developed
further.
Much of the position paper reflects substantial areas of agreement and shared
understanding. Inevitably, however, the document also contains differences, in terms
of perspective, policy and emphasis. At this stage of the Sub-Group’s work, no
attempt has been made to resolve such differences; rather, the approach adopted has
been to highlight areas of difference. It is felt that such articulation will help to
crystallise areas of focus for the future work of the Sub-Group, leading ultimately, it
is hoped, to joint resolution.
SITUATION ANALYSIS
History
Historically, parking was not a problem in NUI Galway. In part, this reflected the
smaller size of city and University. In addition, it also reflected an untenable situation
as regards parking governance and practice on campus. Until around five years ago,
there were few designated parking spaces on campus, and an effective “free-for-all”
existed, with staff and students (and undoubtedly also members of the public) largely
parking where they chose. This created health and safety concerns in relation to
access for ambulances, fire engines and staff and students with a disability. In
2003/04, parking on the campus was regularised with designated spaces, clear
throughways for vehicles and, ultimately, the establishment of the formal, permitbased parking system. On the ground, this regularisation was felt by car users as the
“loss” of a significant number of parking spaces. This perceived “loss” continues to
be felt, notwithstanding ongoing provision of replacement parking spaces in response
to an active building programme.
There is one historical incident that is worthy of mention. The car park scheme had
been in operation for several months following its introduction. It had been agreed
that the tennis court parking area adjacent to the Quad would be staff-only parking.
This had been clearly communicated to members of staff and staff had been parking
their cars in this area. One day, the tennis courts were occupied and blockaded by
students; staff were prevented from entering with their vehicles, some rather rudely.
Negotiations then took place between students and management. Within four hours or
so of the student occupation, students were allowed to park at the tennis courts as they
became joint parking between staff and students. This situation has prevailed since.
The Students’ Union position on this issue is that such action was necessary as
students were excluded from the relevant Partnership process, other than through a
Buildings Office representative acting as proxy.
Outline of the Parking System
Since the end of 2004, NUI Galway has operated a permit-based parking system for
staff, students and others (primarily outside contractors working on campus). The
University has generally adopted a permissive approach to parking need, and by and
large permits are issued to all members of the University community who apply
(subject to applicants satisfying minimal requirements and signing a standard
undertaking). A parking permit does not confer an absolute right to park, but is in the
nature of a “hunting permit”, i.e. the right to search for an available parking space.
(There are only a handful of reserved spaces for vehicles such as those of security
staff, and only the President has a designated space.) Across the University
community, the average “hunting ratio” is around 2.9:1 (see below). Parking
enforcement is by way of clamping, which is sub-contracted to an outside firm. There
is no charge for a parking permit. (The issue of charging has been resisted forcefully
and stridently by parking users, in particular staff.)
Supply and Demand for Parking
The parking situation in NUI Galway is outlined in the attached table and
accompanying map; the position is shown as at November 2007, and there have been
no substantive changes. In relation to supply, Galway City Council requires the use of
a formula which currently permits around 1,600 car park spaces in the University.
These places are spread over 16 zones covering the full extent of the campus. Of the
total, 706 (43%) are reserved for staff, 95 (6%) for students and 79 (5%) for pay and
display (P&D), with 6% accounted for by a variety of miscellaneous users. The 658
other spaces (40%) are shared. On the basis of sample counts conducted, it is
estimated that actual usage of shared spaces during term time is approximately twothirds to 80% students, one-third to 20% staff.
A gross measure of potential demand for parking is the number of permits issued
which amounts to around 4,600 annually. Of this, a little over half are “staff” defined
broadly (a precise count at one point in time showed 42% NUI Galway staff, 12%
outside contractors) with the balance of permits held by students.
A parking permit is an imperfect, blunt measure of a unit of demand. Since many
permit holders do not seek to park every day or for the entire day when they are on
campus (examples include part-time staff and certain categories of non-NUI Galway
staff), demand for parking at any particular time is likely to be significantly lower. For
administrative reasons, it is not considered feasible to reflect this pattern through the
use of a complex system of restricted permits; on balance, the approach of limiting
bureaucracy in the existing system appears to be accepted. Traffic management
consultants employed by the University estimated demand at about 1,900 places.
However, some argue that because parking provision is inadequate, staff and students
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park in nearby roads and others who would like to drive to the University do not do
so, ensuring that this is an underestimate.
The profile of demand for parking exhibits significant variation. A high proportion of
permit holders have no feasible alternative means of transport to the University, many
travelling significant distances from outside the city area. By contrast, a survey
conducted by the traffic management consultants retained by the University found
that 35% of staff who live between one and two kilometres of the campus drive to
work on their own. On the other hand, it is believed that a not insignificant proportion
of permit holders require parking on campus only for a relatively small amount of
time.
Whatever the actual numbers are, it is clear that demand exceeds supply. Constrained
supply can be contrasted with underlying demand growth. Staff numbers have been
growing. Student numbers have also been growing, and there is the additional factor
that the proportion of students with cars is increasing. As a consequence, there are
frequent complaints about parking.
Parking Context
The external and internal contexts exacerbate parking difficulties in NUI Galway. As
a city, Galway has enjoyed very rapid rates of economic and population growth for
more than a quarter of a century. This has inevitably resulted in traffic congestion and
parking pressures in the city. Against this backdrop, it is not surprising that
infrastructure provision has lagged, compounding the situation. In particular, very
inadequate public transport provision has meant that for most people, the car is the
only feasible option for travelling to work. In addition, the academic year is marked
by poor weather and seasonally persistent and heavy rainfall, further increasing
reliance on the car as the preferred mode of transport.
The University community, with more than 15,000 students and more than 1,500
staff, represents a large latent demand for public transport. However, the traffic
management consultants found a low usage of public transport by staff; only for those
in the category living over 20 km from the University did use of public transport
exceed 10% (9% bus, 9% rail), with percentages for categories within closer ranges
varying from 0% to 6%. Given the acknowledged difficulties in finding parking
spaces, this reflects major deficiencies in the provision of urban and suburban bus and
rail services.
The physical layout of NUI Galway is not favourable for parking provision. The
narrow and elongated nature of the campus militates against the type of parking found
in campuses such as Belfield, where large car parks have been created around a
central hub of buildings. In the past, parking overspill from NUI Galway has been
accommodated in neighbouring streets. Partly in response to residents’ complaints,
Galway City Council has recently installed pay and display/residents’ parking in such
areas, discouraging or reducing this option and thus putting further pressure on the
University parking system.
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Future Developments
Future trends point to a worsening supply-demand imbalance in parking provision in
NUI Galway. Without a change in the City Council formula for the number of
permitted parking spaces and given the significant cost of creating additional spaces,
supply is likely to remain constrained. At the same time, demand for parking on
campus will continue to rise, driven by increased numbers of staff and students on the
back of continuing growth in the University and reduced off-campus parking options
due to higher traffic volumes.
The current University building programme will also result in the reduction and
displacement of existing parking. The construction of the Engineering Building in the
next few years will mean the loss of around 360 spaces. It is a potential condition of
the planning permission for this building that these spaces be replaced. A site has
been identified at Dangan, near the student residences at Corrib Village, where
replacement parking for 500 spaces is planned at a capital cost in the region of €5
million (a cost which the Union representatives argue is essentially a component of
the capital cost of the Engineering Building). The distance from there to the main
campus would suggest the development of the facility as a Park and Ride facility,
though the budgetary implications of any proposed bus service would be very
significant.
The future outlook for parking in NUI Galway is critical. Parking difficulties get
worse by the week; while year-on-year the deterioration is marked. The current
supply-demand imbalance, combined with tightening external constraints and internal
pressures deriving from growth, mean that the parking situation is rapidly
approaching a tipping point.
Implications
It is clear that NUI Galway faces particular difficulties in relation to parking over and
above those found in other third level institutions. This has adverse implications for
all members of the University community.
Union representatives argue, however, that the impacts are not uniform. Members of
staff are felt to be the most critical stakeholders in the functioning of the University.
They have little flexibility, being contractually required to attend work for the greater
part of the calendar year. Administrative staff members have no degrees of freedom,
and are required to be present on campus during the periods of peak parking demand.
While academic staff have greater flexibility arising from the nature of their work (as
evidenced by irregular working hours), this freedom is substantially curtailed by the
now over-riding requirement to obtain a parking space. Moreover, academics need to
be mobile and to transport educational materials, both on and off campus. The parking
situation makes it difficult for academics to discharge this aspect of their job.
The consequences for individuals and for the University as a whole are far-reaching,
the Union representatives argue. As a general comment, staff members are coming to
work earlier solely to guarantee parking. This has an adverse effect on work-life
balance, undermining the official University policy in this regard. Parking has also
been a considerable focus of discontent for staff and students, resulting in
deteriorating morale. There is clear evidence that academic staff are not coming in to
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the University to work as frequently as before, choosing to work at home instead. This
has had negative implications for collegiality and has resulted in reduced availability
to students, previously identified as a core element in NUI Galway’s strategic stance
as “a student-centred University”. Finally, it is extremely difficult to obtain parking
for the many visitors to the University.
NUI Galway’s parking system is unusual in that shared spaces (available on a firstcome, first served basis to all categories) are a central feature. At 40%, the proportion
of shared spaces is comparatively high. Inevitably, this sets up competition for spaces
between staff and students, at times resulting in resentment and negative perceptions.
There is a further unforeseen consequence. Reserved spaces for staff outnumber those
for students by a factor of more than seven to one and the bulk of students must obtain
parking in shared locations. Accordingly, in the competition for shared spaces, the
weight of numbers means that a student is more likely to be successful in obtaining
parking. The sample counts referred to earlier suggest that this is in fact the case, with
student to staff usage of shared spaces during term time estimated at from 2:1 to 4:1.
This is borne out by the fact that, from a staff point of view, many of the parking
pressures felt by them are relieved out of term.
POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
Possible solutions take three forms: mobility management solutions, car-parking
solutions and other solutions. None is likely to be a complete solution on its own, and
even a combination of these solutions over time may not be enough to eliminate
difficulties. Measures designed to improve the situation by lowering demand and thus
the “hunting ratio” will be evaluated over time, though this will be difficult in view of
expected increase in the underlying trend in demand.
Mobility Management Solutions
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A travel pass scheme, which generates tax benefits for individuals and the
University in relation to the cost of an annual public transport ticket (this has
already been introduced – see the Partnership website for information)
Car pooling, involving the merging of existing permits by a number of staff,
perhaps three or four, to secure one permit (covering a number of cars) and a
guaranteed parking space
Car sharing ( the provision of opportunities for sharing information on other
staff/students living in the same locality and their preferred journey times)
Public transport, involving the dissemination of information on times and
other relevant information
Pressing for improvements in the public transport infrastructure
Encouraging cycling and walking (support has already been provided to the
Galway Cycling Campaign), particularly by improving facilities for parking
bicycles (e.g. covered areas and the use of CCTV for security)
Other proposals in the course of development
The Mobility Management Subgroup of the Partnership Group is continuing to
explore and develop these possibilities.
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Car Parking Solutions
A multi-storey car-park on the central campus was proposed some time ago. The
University has, however, been pursuing the option of a surface parking facility at
Dangan, on the left of the road just after the entrance to Corrib Village; this is
generally discussed as a Park and Ride facility, with a regular bus service to the main
campus, which is the preferred management position outlined below. The arguments
in favour of such an approach are:
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It facilitates the quick replacement of spaces to be lost in the near future (e.g.
through Engineering Building construction) and thus avoids further pressure
on parking spaces
It would ease the negative impact on pedestrians of cars on the campus, and
improve the campus environment by removing some traffic from central areas
It offers the potential for improvements in campus mobility
The cost of car-parking solutions is significant. Although the cost of a Park and Ride
facility is substantially less than that of a multi-storey car-park, overall capital costs
(including land preparation, surface laying, lighting, bus route, bus shelters, etc.) are
likely to be in the region of €5m. Recurrent costs for a bus service, maintenance of the
car-park, maintenance of a bus route, etc., are also likely to be significant (in the
region of €500,000 per annum).
The Dangan facility could be introduced either with or without a shuttle bus service.
If it is introduced without the bus service, then pressure for charging for parking
would be reduced. Charging might be introduced selectively, so that it would not be
mandatory or universally applied to all campus car parking spaces. Those who are not
willing to be charged for parking would trade off proximity. Only those car parks in
the southern end of the campus or the main campus would be subject to charging.
MANAGEMENT POSITION
Both elements of the University budget are under pressure: capital is needed to
replace the inadequate buildings that many staff and students are required to work in;
the annual recurrent budget is under pressure from many angles. The car-parking
system is presently operated on a self-financing basis in respect of recurrent costs; the
proceeds of clamping pay for car-park maintenance, line-marking, etc. Given the
pressure on the University’s budgetary position, the UMT is anxious that this
principle be retained. The resulting requirement to increase the collection of cash
from this area might be met by several means or by some combination of them:
 An increase in the number of Pay and Display places
 An increase in the hourly charge for Pay and Display places
 Introduction of a relatively significant charge for parking on the main campus
 Introduction of a relatively insignificant charge for parking at Dangan
 Introduction of tendering, or a variation of this, for a number of guaranteed
parking spaces
The introduction of such charges would be a significant development. Arguments in
favour of this radical departure include (a) that in view of budgetary constraints, the
University should not continue to subsidise totally free parking for staff or students,
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and (b) that the value of an annual parking space is probably in the region of €900 to
€1,500 (based on the cost of parking at the nearby Cathedral car-park and the cost of
renting available spaces close to the University).
Free parking reduces the basis for providing incentives for better mobility
management behaviour (car-pooling might be rewarded by the waiving of charges, for
example; charges might encourage those within easy walking distance of the
University to dispense with the car, save money, and improve their health; some
might be more strongly encouraged to consider public transport).
UNION POSITION
Union representatives recognise that there may be a place for charging for parking as
part of a comprehensive solution to a complex and difficult issue. (This may yet be
opposed outright by the vast majority of staff.) Openness to exploring the possibility
of charging derives from incentive effects inducing behavioural change. However,
any charging that may result would need to be tightly prescribed in its operation. In
addition, any charge must not be compulsory: staff must have a choice whether or not
to incur a charge. One possibility is there would be a trade-off for parking proximity.
This implies that any charging would not be universal across the campus.
Furthermore, any gains in terms of parking spaces freed up arising from behavioural
changes pursuant to charging must accrue to staff and students proportionately (or
disproportionately in the event of students enjoying a lower charge – a priori, union
representatives would not be in favour of this). Finally, the union is implacably
opposed to self-financing as a rationale for any possible charging.
Reflecting the standard practice in third-level institutions, there should be a reduction
in the number of student parking spaces, change in their locations and elimination of
shared spaces. At over 500 spaces (almost one-third of the total on campus) and
possibly as high as 600, the number of spaces is in excess of that envisaged at the time
the system was set up, due to students occupying a significant majority of shared
spaces. Therefore, it is proposed that the number of student spaces should be reduced
to 425. In addition, all staff spaces on campus would be reserved: staff would no
longer have to compete for shared spaces. This would avoid staff (the critical
stakeholder group) being disadvantaged on the basis of lower numbers and would
remove the conflict and negative stereotyping that the current shared arrangements
foster. Finally, all student parking would be located in the proposed 500 space parking
area in Dangan at the northern end of the campus, to which staff should also have
overspill access.
STUDENT POSITION
Any plan to improve parking must have the principle of equity at its core and must
take into account the characteristics of NUI Galway and the local public transport
system; arrangements on other campuses may not be applicable. The Students’ Union
approves the move from denying students direct input on parking policy to their
inclusion in the policy-making process. It welcomes the University’s commitment to
creating a student-centred campus. It is important that this commitment continues and
that the students (the primary stakeholders) remain the priority in the formation of any
parking policy.
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Many students have no choice but to drive to college, the cost of accommodation near
the campus being prohibitive. Adequate student parking is therefore vital if the
campus is to remain attractive for prospective students. This is also in the interests of
staff, as maintaining student numbers will preserve the demand for staff. The interests
of both staff and students will be best served by providing a parking environment
aimed at facilitating student needs and addressing the challenges facing commuting
students. Even a small percentage of commuting students can represent significant
actual numbers, many of these being mature students with crèche runs and link trips.
It should be noted that even though the total student population exceeds 15,000 and
the staff population is less than 2,000, only 90 designated student parking spaces exist
on campus. Whereas more than 40% are reserved for staff, who represent a minority,
less than 7% are reserved for students who represent the vast majority of users. This
does not seem congruent with the principle of equity of access.
It is the Students’ Union position that any parking solution implemented on campus
must reflect the student-centred ethos of NUI Galway. Any alteration of current
policy must therefore serve to at least improve the current student parking experience
and move toward the goal of equitable parking access for students on campus.
Other Possible Partial Solutions
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Underground parking might be included with new buildings
NUI Galway might challenge with Galway City Council its formula for
determining car park spaces.
Provision of a small number of pool transport vehicles for academic staff with
mobility requirements. (Other service providers such as computer services already
have such vehicles at their disposal.)
Extended use of drop-off spaces outside critical service areas (e.g. Exams Office
for collection of scripts); evaluation of usage of loading bays and disability spaces
to potentially free up spaces.
UPDATE
The possible application to the University of the Parking Levy proposed in the
Finance Bill 2008 is still unclear. The area to which the levy applies must be
determined by Ministerial order; accordingly, we do not yet know whether the levy
will apply to all, some or none of the campus. If the levy does apply, it is likely to be
€100, as there is a 50% reduction in the standard rate where the number of permits is
at least twice the number of spaces. The levy is a tax on employees; accordingly, it
will not apply to students.
Planning permission for the proposed Park and Ride facility has now been confirmed.
Keith Warnock
22 December 2008
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