It's all very well to say that people who live within a km of the station are lazy for driving and should be walking, but this doesn't take into account:
1. The climate... it's hardly mediterranean!
I for one do not like arriving at / sitting in work all day in a damp suit or have a damp rain suit hanging up in a small office.
2. The quality of roads, footpaths & street lighting around many outlying stations leaves a lot to be desired. I have had cars come uncomfortably close to me on the narrow road down to Louisa Bridge station... this does not encourage me to walk.
3. Other tasks achieved on the way to the station such as dropping kids to creche or school.
I may be missing the point here, but I think paying €5 pw for a car park is infintely preferable to parking on a muddy verge on a poorly lit road. People are voting with their feet...or their wheels when they are too lazy to use their feet
... the car park at Louisa Bridge is almost always full by 9 a.m. on a weekday.