A proposal to focus less on clamping illegally parked cars in Dublin is being made because of upcoming local elections, head of the Irish Parking Association has said.
Dublin City Council is set to draw up guidelines for the private company that will enforce parking laws in the city in the coming years.
One proposed change is to focus less on clamping illegally parked cars.
Irish Parking Association Chairman Keith Gavin told Newstalk Breakfast the proposal sounds like electoral kite-flying.
"Our experience in the city centre from the period before clamping was in place would lead us to be believe that there would be chaos if clamping was removed," he said.
"I think the proposal is kind of indicative of the fact that there's local elections on the horizon so it would be quite a popular suggestion from some councillors.
"We're very much an outlier in Ireland from the rest of western Europe that we still use clamping.
"It is a very draconian method of enforcement and it's not very pleasant for anybody involved".
A Dublin City Council worker in the clamping department looks at a car on Merrion Square in Dublin 30-1-14. Image: Sam Boal/Phototcall IrelandMr Gavin said ticketing and fines is the preferred method of enforcement in most countries.
"We do it to some extent here in Ireland, but it's the follow-up and it's the collection of the fines [that is an issue]," he said.
"If the fines aren't pursued and if the driver doesn't incur the penalty there is no deterrent.
"Clamping certainly works as a deterrent, it's effective, but it is very draconian".
Mr Gavin said linking parking fines to penalty points could be one way to reduce clamping.
"You could look at when people clock up a number of fines maybe start linking it to penalty points or something like that that makes it effective as an enforcement method," he said.
Dublin's clamping services have been carried out by Dublin Street Parking Services (DSPS) since 2004 with the contact due to end in July.
