Clamping fees are set to increase in Dublin City Centre for the first time in over 20 years.
The release fee for clamped vehicles in Dublin is to increase from €80 to €125 at the beginning of next month.
The Transport Minister Eamon Ryan has said the change will bring clamping charges on public road in line with those charged in private parking areas.
Dublin City Council has welcomed the move, noting that it has been seeking the increase for many years.
On Newstalk Breakfast this morning, Green Party Councillor Michael Pidgeon said the last time the fees were increased was in 1998.
“We were still using pounds then,” he said. “That was a time when a pint was €2.50 and it is not unreasonable that over the course of 23 years the cost of something might increase once.
“So basically, this is about catching up with where the fee for clamping should be.”
"Punitive"
Meanwhile, Independent Councillor Mannix Flynn said the measure is punitive against motorists.
“I don’t believe this is the right approach at all,” he said. “I think these measures will fail.
“I think that really what we need to do is see parking wardens back on the streets so you have that human touch and human connection telling people you can’t do this.
“Simply turning up in a van with a piece of paper, slapping a fine on the windscreen of the car and leaving the car there where it is causing the obstruction is not good enough.”
He suggested cars now have less space in the city, noting that road space has been given over the cyclists, while loading bays have been given over to outdoor dining.
“I believe this is a punitive measure against motorists to get them out of their cars so we can all be walking and cycling – which is all fair but it is the wrong time to deal with these issues as we open up this economy,” he said.
“We have to look at the city as a whole and you’ve spoken before about the city’s soul dying; this is part of that particular process and this just turns people off.”
Clampers
Cllr Pidgeon agreed that the increase is punitive – but insisted there is one way to ensure it never hits your pocket.
“It is punitive against people who break the law,” he said. “Most drivers will never pay this increase. Most drivers never get clamped because they know to follow the rules.
“It is funny to hear Mannix bringing in cyclists as if they are the cause of bad parking. This is the easiest increase in the world to avoid. You don’t park in bus lane, you don’t park up on the footpath – you parked where you are supposed to.
“There are tens of thousands of parking spaces provided, at subsidy, in Dublin. Often, they are free. Just do it safely and do it where you are supposed to and you will never have to pay this increase.”
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