Dublin City Council proposes to allow commuters to park free of charge in residential areas to encourage drivers to switch to public transport to access the city-centre in a reversal of its paid parking policy.
The amendment to the current parking regulations would result in fewer streets in future becoming subject to pay and display and residents' permit parking.
The council also intends to examine areas currently under parking control with a view to removing parking restrictions if suitable transport links are available.
The proposal, which must be approved by the city councillors, is likely to appeal to commuters who have difficulty in finding parking near rail and Luas stations and bus routes, but it will anger residents who claim that they cannot park outside their own homes.
Up to now paid parking was introduced to residential areas upon application by the residents. If 80 per cent of the on-street parking in the area was generally occupied, more than 50 per cent of residents wanted the scheme and the street was considered suitable by the council's traffic engineer, the application was granted.
Once in place, residents paid an annual €70 charge for a parking permit, while non-residents could use pay and display machines to pay for parking.
The council's parking control division says that while this policy has worked well in previous years, the council now had to consider whether these schemes were discouraging commuters from using public transport. Any new application for parking controls had to be considered in this light and current paid parking areas should be reviewed to ensure that the restrictions did not deter motorists from availing of public transport, the council said.
"Where the application is for parking controls in a street which adjoins a significant public transport corridor, terminus, interchange etc, the application will generally not be recommended where residents already have sufficient off-street parking and on-street parking does not give rise to a traffic hazard or obstruction," the amendment states.
"It is also recommended that this additional criterion be applied where a review of existing parking controls in a particular street is considered appropriate."
The proposals are to be put to the council's transportation and traffic strategic policy committee later this week.
