Belfast university students missing lectures with lack of parking

Rebecca Bennett it’s “next to impossible” to get parked by the university in the morning

BBC A woman with black and white hair looks at the camera. She is wearing a black jacket and a black and white scarf. In the background there are large red-brick buildings and trees. — Rebecca Bennett it’s “next to impossible” to get parked by the university in the morning

Some Belfast students have said their studies are being hampered by a lack of parking around Queen’s University.

Students told BBC News NI they have missed lectures and are concerned about walking through the city in the dark due to the lack of parking.

A Queen’s University spokesperson said current traffic congestion across the city is “a result of infrastructure issues outside of the control or remit of Queen’s”.

The university said it is committed to reducing emissions and strongly encourages students to use public transport.

‘Use sustainable travel’

“Our staff and students are also encouraged to use active forms of sustainable travel and we are actively engaging with the Department for Infrastructure and Belfast City Council,” it added.

A spokesperson for the DFI said parking is always in demand in Stranmillis and the Holyland during term time but added that “inconsiderate or poor parking behaviour” further reduces the limited availability.

The department has recently increased enforcement in these areas and said parking compliance was improving.

The department added that there must be a “a conscious choice to move away from using cars to more sustainable methods” for our everyday journeys.

‘You think twice about walking alone at night’

Rebecca Bennett is a PHD student at Queen’s University Belfast. She told BBC News NI that parking is a huge issue for students.

“It’s next to impossible to get parked in the morning, you have to show up at seven o’clock. And what are you supposed to do at seven o’clock in the morning?”

Part of the problem, Ms Bennett believes, is that Belfast is “such a densely populated city”, with people travelling from across Northern Ireland.

Due to the parking issues Ms Bennett said she walks to and from university but she worries about that.

She said she has walked home and it “was a bit scary, especially walking through Botanic”.

“When you hear those news reports about the increased femicide rate in Northern Ireland, it’s a huge issue. And it just makes you think twice about walking alone at night.”

‘Lack of proper parking facilities’

Jamie Dowie says he has been late to lectures due to not being able to get parked

A man in a grey hoodie smiles at the camera. He has short brown hair. He is wearing a backpack, and the black straps of the backpack are visible over his shoulders. In the background is a row of parked cars, some trees, some buildings, and some blue scaffolding. — Jamie Dowie says he has been late to lectures due to not being able to get parked

Jamie Dowie, a Masters student at Queen’s University Belfast said he had missed or been late to lectures due to parking issues.

“I have walked into lectures an hour late,” he said.

“If you have an exam, you’re up maybe two or three hours beforehand so you can get parked. You lose out on sleep”.

Mr Dowie also noted that staff face similar issues in locating space to park.

The Mechanical Engineering student did his placement at Queen’s, and found that, even as a member of staff, he struggled to find anywhere to park.

His only option was to join a waiting list, the wait time for which was two years.

According to Mr Dowie, the demand for parking spaces far outstrips supply. “There are no places to park”, he said. “It’s all side streets, there’s no actual proper parking facilities”.

The lack of “proper” parking facilities is also a point of concern for Mr Dowie even once parked, as well as worries about the damage that might befall his car.

Elmwood Avenue, near the university is often busy

An empty road with cars parked in spaces on either side. On the right side of the road, there is a row of re-brick buildings, some of which have scaffolding. On the other side there are larger buildings. There are trees on both sides. — Elmwood Avenue, near the university is often busy

A number of cars parked in a car park. The car park is surrounded by large red-brick buildings. — Cars parked near the McClay Library

‘It’s a nightmare to get parked’

For Caitlin Hilton, the lack of parking spaces around the university detrimentally effects her sleep.

The Politics and International Relations student said it was “very hard” to find anywhere to park, meaning she has to get up a lot earlier than she would otherwise.

This, says Ms Hilton, negatively effects her ability to learn and study.

Oisín McCarron, meanwhile, said that their quality of life while at university is worsened by a lack of parking availability.

“It’s very difficult to get parked anywhere, to the point where people are just parking on the footpath. I can’t drive during the week because there’s no parking where I live.”

Oisín McCarron said he won’t drive during the week

A person looking at the camera. They are wearing a grey hoodie and a dark green jacket. They have large black headphones around their neck and glasses on their face. They have long dark hair. Behind them, there is a large red-brick building, as well as a number of people walking. There are also some parked cars. — Oisín McCarron said he won’t drive during the week

Final year Law students Sophie and Lauren share Oisín’s concerns.

“It’s a nightmare to get parked”, said Sophie.

Lauren also highlighted the financial cost involved with trying to park near the university.

“There was one time I came to park close to Queen’s”, says Lauren, “and the only place I could get was Botanic, where you had to pay. It was a significant amount of money for just an hour’s parking”.

University Square is one area that students find difficult to park on

A road with cars parked on either side. The road is in-between a row of red-brick buildings, and a number of larger red-brick buildings. There are no visible spaces between the cars. — University Square is one area that students find difficult to park on

Ronan Campbell, a Law and Politics student from Omagh, highlighted the struggle students from rural communities face commuting to their student accommodation.

“Getting parked is the hardest part because its chock-a-block. You come up on a Sunday evening and its rammed and if you move your car during the week, you’re going to struggle.”

For Siofra Kearney, meanwhile, driving to university is no longer an option due to the lack of parking spaces.

“I get the bus up from Newry. It’s an hour and twenty minute journey, which is longer than it would take me to drive. All because I’m unable to get my car parked or move reliably around the city.

“It’s not a very accessible city for students.”

The department has said there are several car parks and park and ride sites across the city which drivers are encouraged to avail of.

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