A new 800 space park and ride facility which opened in Dublin yesterday attracted just one customer but still managed to incur the displeasure of Dublin City Council.
The new surface car-park on the Dublin port side of the Point Depot claimed to be the first permanent park and ride facility in the city centre.
For €5 a day it offers motorists cheaper parking than on-street parking metres and a free shuttle bus which traverses the Irish Financial Services Centre going as far west as Busarus.
Yet the service appeared to appeal to just one driver . . . or none at all if you consider that the driver was a reporter for Dublin radio station Newstalk 106 who had arrived to do a story on the new venture. Newstalk, which has no ownership connection with the facility, has now promised to pay for all who wish to park in the compound today.
But the generous offer has not pleased the city fathers who are equally displeased by the whole venture.
"No, we wouldn't welcome it," said a council spokeswoman. "It is still attracting cars into the port area and we would see that as a negative rather than a positive."
The spokeswoman said the council was interested in the legality of the venture, with regard to planning permission, commenting: "I don't know what the premises was used for before".
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