Parking Measures

Parking Measures

The Climate Change Advisory Council (CCAC) has also advocated for interventions in relation to parking. In line with Five Cities Demand Management Study, the Council in its 2023 Annual Review recommends parking restraints alongside the implementation of Part 18B of the Finance Act (No. 2) of 2008 (Parking Levy in Urban Areas) in the major urban areas of Cork, Dublin, Galway, Limerick and Waterford.

The provision of car parking – location, availability, and cost - has a considerable role to play in influencing people’s travel decisions. Parking measures feature strongly in the NTA’s modelling for the Climate Action Plan, including the removal of free workplace parking spaces, a 400% increase from 2016 parking charges and a minimum charge of €5/hr introduced in all urban areas - by 2030. This demonstrates the significant potential that parking measures are modelled to have on travel behaviour.

The Commission on Taxation and Welfare went a step further and recommended the introduction of an additional duty on non-residential car parking, both public and private - not limited to employerprovided car parking. Aside from levies and duties, alternative mechanisms to support less car-based commuting could include income tax changes and addressing subsidies and incentives to workplace car parking.

As a result, CAPs 2023 to 2025 include a range of measures aimed at reducing parking provision in public places and in residential developments. They reference the Public Sector Climate Action Mandate, which commits to phasing out the use of parking at public sector buildings ‘that have access to a range of public transport services and active/shared mobility options for the majority of staff/visitors while providing that sufficient accessible parking is maintained for those with physical mobility issues’. In addition, through the lens of enhanced spatial and land use planning and the need to enable a systems change, CAP23 highlighted the importance of managing parking from the perspective of availability, form and price. It advocated for public authorities to adopt market pricing of car parking to avoid subsidising car use as well as a reduction of on-street car parking spaces where it complements measures to prioritise active travel and public transport and to improve the public realm. Powers related to public parking control rests with Local Authorities.

In its 2024 Review, the CCAC also urged rapid availability of the national parking data inventory, proposed in this Strategy, and a review of existing legislation to support a reduction in car parking use where sustainable travel alternatives are available.

Other policies and programmes have a direct impact on parking – notably the Department of Transport’s Active Travel Programme and the rollout of major public transport infrastructure such as BusConnects – which will involve the removal of a significant amount of on-street parking. Pilot studies are underway on kerbside management, including a Pathfinder project in Dublin City, which aims to develop more dynamic solutions to the management of street space including parking, loading bays etc. The CCAC, in its 2025 Review, state that the reallocation of road space is critical to support sustainable modes of transport and has also been demonstrated to contribute positively to local economies and wellbeing. However, it notes that this reallocation, which oftentimes involve a reduction in space for on-street parking or car lanes in favour of pedestrianisation, dedicated cycling infrastructure and public transport, can face initial opposition, requiring significant stakeholder engagement.

CAP23 included a specific action to review Planning Guidelines to ensure that a graduated and performance-based approach is applied to the quantum and form of car parking, having regard to the proximity of urban centres and public transport services. To this end, new Sustainable Residential Development and Compact Settlements Guidelines (SRDCSGs) for Planning Authorities were published in 2024.

These new guidelines include maximum parking rates (Specific Planning Policy Requirement 3) based on recommending a graduated approach to car parking for residential development – with a further requirement for car parking ratios to be minimised, reduced, or eliminated at locations that have good access to urban services and to public transport.

Finally, the CCAC also recommended that the local authority of each city should introduce park and ride schemes along major arterial roads (by 1 January 2030), as well as deliver (by 1 January 2030) a plan to reduce the number of public city centre parking spaces. All of the aforementioned