Liffey Valley shopping centre management have said that new carpark measures are "working positively."
Liffey Valley Shopping Centre's new paid parking system came into effect on the 17 October, following a €30m transformation of the car park.
Customers now have to pay to park at Liffey Valley for the first time in its 24 year history. The new ticketless and cashless system costs €2.50 for the first three hours of parking and an extra €2.50 is added for every hour after that, before capping at €12.50 for the day.
Read more: We drove through their new paid parking system- here's how it works
A designated staff car park with 550 spaces charges employees a flat fee of €2.50 per day. However, the public will also have access to the staff car park, which has made employees anxious about capacity issues.
A protest against the new fees is taking place outside the shopping centre today. However, management have stressed that the new system is a success.
In a statement they said that customers are reaping the benefits of the new system. They said that customers have acknowledged "the improved experience in terms of directional signage into available spaces and the ease with which spaces can now be found."
They said: "Car park personnel have been on the ground throughout this week providing assistance and guidance to customers and staff on the new arrangements.
"Traffic continues to distribute better throughout the car parks and customers are being offered 3 different payment alternatives - they can register in advance here or when they are finished their shopping trip and ready to leave, they can simply pay by contactless card at pay machines located at all exits or at the barrier when exiting. Customers will pay €2.50 for the first hour of parking with the subsequent 2 hours free of charge with a 15 minute grace period in all car parks.
"Staff parking facilities are available in pre-designated areas of the Centre for €2.50 per trip. Sign-up by Staff for the discounted rate of €2.50 per trip has been in line with the projected registration rate envisaged for this group. Staff members with any residual concerns about the new arrangements are being urged to engage directly with their employers on the matter.
"We are happy to confirm that there has been available capacity in the designated areas for staff parking (blue and green overflow car parks) at all times since Monday last.
"Management said they have been constantly communicating with stakeholders and that more improvements will come in the next few weeks.
They said: "There has been and continues to be extensive communication regarding these changes with all our stakeholders including with our retailers. It is largely understood and accepted that the delivery of an enhanced customer experience will ultimately benefit the retail businesses at Liffey Valley and their staff. The changes are already resulting in a much-improved parking experience for all, and we believe has already reduced the number of commuters and frequent parkers who neither visited or worked at the Centre.
"The adjacent road works currently underway in conjunction with the NTA around the external perimeter of the Centre are due to be completed in the coming weeks which will be another major step towards enhancing access to the Centre.
"The new BusConnects interchange at Liffey Valley Shopping Centre will complete in early December and will come into operation early next year and will further improve public transport connectivity to the Centre.
"Finally, we would reiterate that weekend periods at Liffey Valley Shopping Centre are particularly busy and it is essential for customers and retailer staff that that the public be allowed uninterrupted access and exit to and from the Centre as normal."
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