Exclusion zone to leave fans with 2km match hike

PENAL parking restrictions are to come into force around Croke Park
Patrons at the GAA's Headquarters are facing the added headache of 2km-plus walks after Dublin City Council's decision to enforce a parking exclusion zone around the ground.
New bye-laws are expected to restrict parking for non-residents within a 2km zone from all the city's major stadia and entertainment venues, including the new Lansdowne Road, the RDS and the Point.
But Croke Park has become the first target, with only residential permit holders allowed to park in the vicinity of the stadium Croke Park during specific hours around match or event times.
Unfair
The new bye-laws will be enforced later this summer for international matches, concerts and later All-Ireland quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals.
The parameters of the exclusion zone include Griffith Avenue to the north, St Mobhi and Botanic Roads to the west, North Strand Road and Fairview to the east and Parnell Street to the south.
Croke Park stadium director Peter McKenna said yesterday that it will be unfair on patrons travelling long distances to inconvenience them in such a way.
"The economy of Dublin benefits enormously from events and matches in Croke Park and other venues.
"It seems a very harsh way to penalise the people who are actually fuelling this economy."
The restriction of parking will only move any perceived problem with congestion and road safety to another part of the city and McKenna suggested "some joined up thinking" before the new bye-laws are enforced. "We have been in consultation with the city authorities on this and a smaller exclusion zone closer to Croke Park has worked well. But this leaves things more difficult," he admitted.
"The area isn't that well served by public transport and even bus lanes don't operate on match days which could help," McKenna said.
It has been suggested that a plebiscite of residents in the relevant areas will be required before the new laws come into effect.
"A system like this operates at Arsenal, but you have to factor in that there's a home team involved, a smaller ground capacity and a better level of public transport," argued McKenna.


Good luck to the residents just outside the 2km exclusion zone.....Just moving the problem to other city centre residents!!!!
Posted by Dallas 18.04.08, 13:28 GMT
as stated there are many bus routes serving north strand /fairview and on the drumcondra side. there is a raillink to drumcondra but ideally thee existing rail track from connolly could be rehabilitated and a stop put in beside jury's on the jones road. I am a resident of the area and enjoy the colour and sense of exitment that matchdays and events bring to the area but believe that this is detracted from by the antics of a very small minority on more than one occasion i have had to ask fans to pick their litter up. I would hasten to add that many residents of the area do a great job all on their own of double parking ant-social behaviour etc
Posted by gabriel 18.04.08, 13:27 GMT
go ahead Joe - you tell us your own thoughts on why there was very little disruption from the Rugby matches. I also live in the area also and witnessed many cars parked on pavements during the Rugby with v. little clamping taking place. I think residents have been treated much better recently with free match/concert tickets and funding provided to local groups by the GAA. Get a life Joe
Posted by Phib_Philly 18.04.08, 13:18 GMT
I agree that parking is a headache for residents. It has too be with such an influx of people for all over Ireland arriving each weekend. I would wondder if perhaps it wasn't as bad for the Rugby matches because a lot of the spectators are from Dublin. Is traffic an issue when Dublin are playing? But bear in mind lots of people, like myself, only go to Dublin for matches. I don't know anywhere else in Dublin (bar the train station). And the LUAS is always too full on match day so I can't get in. Anyway it only brings you part of the way. Personally I park at Aarons Quay and walk in but I am 27. What about older people. I took my Father there in a wheelchair one year and getting to the Stadium was a nightmare. We took the train up and it was no fun making our way to the Stadium. Anyway I laugh a Dublin City Council. This is the same company who not only didn't allow the GAA to move and improve the DART line during construction, (improvements which could have included a stop), but actually continue to charge the GAA AIRSPACE CHARGES for the part of the stadium that overhangs the stadium.
Posted by John ORiordan 18.04.08, 13:08 GMT
The Dublin economy benefits so much from Croke Park that its time that Dublin gave something back in return. For starters, where's the dedicated match day Park n Ride schemes? Where are the prioritised buses that will take fans to the stadium on match days? Its all very well waving the stick, but where's the carrot? You can't blame finance - there's no shortage of money to give away free stadia to Sham Rovers, or to fund Sporting Fingal Football Academy. If they'd imposed these restrictions before the GAA paid for the rebuilding of Croker, we would probably have sold the site and fecked off to somewhere more accessible and more grateful for our investment.
Posted by Paul Sloan 18.04.08, 11:10 GMT
Typical Irish solution to an Irish problem. Anyone with half a brain would have insisted that a full size train/dart station as well as a high capacity bus terminal be built as part of the overall Croke Park project. Instead what was once just painful is now going to become a deterrant to attending matches. Dublin City Council should be prevented from bringing in these bye-laws until they make alternative effective arrangements to accommodate matchgoers. It is their fault that these problems arose and it should be their responsibility to sort them.
Posted by Ger 18.04.08, 09:54 GMT
Really! So Croke Park and the GAA don't like the new exclusion zones! Well, maybe they should have engaged more with the residents of the area who have to put up with too many ill-manned boorish 'fans' who think it is their right to block driveways, park on corners, on footpaths, and who would park on the pitch if they could. Croke Park chose to ignore the concerns of the residents and thought they would simply bully them as they had for years. Well, as a resident, all I can say to the City Council is 'Yay! Best decision in years - well done!!' And as for McKenna's suggestion that the area is not well served by public transport. What nonsense! There is a railway station not more than 200m from the stadium and more bus routes than in almost any other part of the city. It is no more than a 20 minute walk from the city centre!!! A little joined up thinking from Croke Park please! Get out there and actually look at the possibilities for public transport. Funnily enough, there was relatively little disruption for residents from the rugby matches. I wonder why.
Posted by Joe 18.04.08, 08:08 GMT
Hey no worries really, wont it be such a pleasure to catch the light rail connection from suburbia into Croker, or indeed, you could jump on Dublin's wonderful underground rail network bustling with Celtic Tiger energy.
Posted by Sarc Asm 18.04.08, 07:33 GMT