I was talking to a man today about Casement Park, and he raised a point I simply hadn’t thought of: how will car parking work on match days? He said Casement Park makes sense but probably would work better on another site.
I think we’d all agree with that, sort of. The original agreement was for a ‘national’ stadium at Long Kesh that would have been used for rugby, soccer and Gaelic games. That agreement had a hand grenade thrown into it when Peter Robinson sent his letter from America saying that on mature reflection, he was agin it. But if he had been true to his word, parking wouldn’t have been a problem.
I’ve done a google and what appear to be hefty rates – like, for example, £70 a month – appear to be on offer by locals ( I think). My response in conversation with my friend was that the GAA should lay on shuttle buses from major parking areas located anything up to ten miles away. Certainly to have parking around Casement Park would make for mass congestion. Did the residents, in their complaint to the GAA, raise the parking issue? I’d be amazed if they didn’t. And I’m assuming that the GAA and the planners took parking into consideration.
I’m in an honest search for information: how will parking at Casement Park be managed? I am not in a search for answers to the question “Should Casement Park be refurbished?”. That particular ship has sailed: it should be and it will be.
Remember every side street, both sides, all the way up Slemish Way, Commedagh Drive and beyond packed both sides.
Jude, have you tried parking at Ravenhill, Croke Park or the Aviva when matches or concerts are on? No one expects to park at a stadium. Old Trafford or Anfield etc don’t have Allie parking, they close the roads except for residents on march days. The walk to the stadium is all part of the day out.