Advice on persistent parking offenders

littlejukka

I cycle to work across the south edge of stephen's green every morning, heading west. There is almost invariably a green e-class merc parked on the cycle lane outside stauntons on the green, presumably the owner or operator. there are always gardai on the scene as they patrol outside the department of justice. who could i contact to complain? would it be worth approaching stauntons, the clampers, the garda?

Potential-Monke

Contact your local council authority, they'll send a traffic warden out, and the car will subsequently get a fine. If you really want to take things further, take a picture each day, or even hour, with a film camera with the time and date on it, and keep them as proof if nothing happens. If it's causing a dangerous obstruction, ie: you ahve to go out into the main road to avoid it, then the Gardai may be able to have it removed.

rp

Potential-Monke wrote: »

If you really want to take things further, take a picture each day, or even hour, with a film camera with the time and date on it, and keep them as proof if nothing happens. If it's causing a dangerous obstruction, ie: you ahve to go out into the main road to avoid it, then the Gardai may be able to have it removed.

or just run a 50p down the side of it

markpb

Ring (in this order) the clampers (6022500), the traffic control centre (1800293949) and the garda traffic corp (6669800). Tell each of them that there's a car obstructing the cycle and (if possible) the bus lane and ask for it to be removed. If you can, check back about half an hour later and see if it's still there. Repeat this process for a few days and if you're not having any luck, email parkingenforcement@dublincity.ie and tell them the clampers aren't covering your area.

Hungrycol

When a car is parked in a cycleway I normally swerve out onto the road scaring the bejasus out of traffic behind me.

Last spring I was coming to work through Drumcondra when Bertie and a few cronies were standing around a big black merc parked on a cycleway. I shouted "You're on the cyclepath". Got all their attention be felt they didn't really care.

It bothers me more when I'm stuck behind a slow moving motorbike in the cycleway.

markpb

You can bet if you'd had an airhorn on your bike they'd have moved out of your way. Then, being Garda protection detail, they'd have chased you and given you a good shouting for scaring our beloved leader.

Karma

have a look at the car windscreen next time-if only a tax disc then its a government taxi and waiting as usual for the law breaker outside the dept of Foreign affairs(80 st.Stephens green). please feel free to ring the above numbers. I don't think much would be done. have see the police on the green talking with said offending drivers.
you could stop and ask who are they driving(seem to recall the garda comish getting slated in the papers for his official car illegally parked)
take a photo of it with the time, a few mornings in a row and send to earlsfort trc gardai station.???

Hungrycol

markpb wrote: »

You can bet if you'd had an airhorn on your bike they'd have moved out of your way. Then, being Garda protection detail, they'd have chased you and given you a good shouting for scaring our beloved leader.

In some countries I'd be shot for shouting abuse at our "beloved leader"!

tywy

markpb wrote: »

Ring (in this order) the clampers (6022500), the traffic control centre (1800293949) and the garda traffic corp (6669800). Tell each of them that there's a car obstructing the cycle and (if possible) the bus lane and ask for it to be removed. If you can, check back about half an hour later and see if it's still there. Repeat this process for a few days and if you're not having any luck, email parkingenforcement@dublincity.ie and tell them the clampers aren't covering your area.

Supposedly if you use the term 'dangerously parked' when you're speaking to them they'll get someone out straight away. Or so I've been told.

There's a van and skip that are always parked on Nutgrove Road (I think it's called) in front of the entrance to the contraflow cycle lane. If you don't know where I'm talking about, it's a little road that leads onto the Clonskeagh Road just before the turn into Belfield. A lot of students use this on their route to college. The van parking there forces cyclists not to use the cycle lane and to cycle the wrong way down a one way street. I was talking to the builder who's van it was and he didn't seem to give a **** cuz he still parks there every morning. Should I phone all those numbers? Or one specific one?

dbrowne9212

kick the **** out of it.

littlejukka

Karma wrote: »

have a look at the car windscreen next time-if only a tax disc then its a government taxi and waiting as usual for the law breaker outside the dept of Foreign affairs(80 st.Stephens green). please feel free to ring the above numbers. I don't think much would be done. have see the police on the green talking with said offending drivers.
you could stop and ask who are they driving(seem to recall the garda comish getting slated in the papers for his official car illegally parked)
take a photo of it with the time, a few mornings in a row and send to earlsfort trc gardai station.???

it's definitely outside stauntons, the black mercs and vans outside the DOJ are only there the odd time and i'm not that bothered as they tend to be there for short stints. this guys is there 3-4 mornings a week and weekends.

littlejukka

thanks for all the advice. i've taken a couple of photos in the last couple of weeks. problem is i keep my phone in my bag and it's a pain to stop, take it off my back, etc, etc. i'll try and grab a couple more shots and take it from there.

Danbo!

markpb wrote: »

Ring (in this order) the clampers (6022500), the traffic control centre (1800293949) and the garda traffic corp (6669800).

Thanks for that. Dominos in rathmines have there line of honda 50's parked outside on the cycle track, pain in the ass on the way home when the traffic is queued up beside em. also there are always cars parked across the cycletrack at a creche between rathmines/rathgar. last week i stopped and waved to a traffic corps car and the driver kinda shrugged and mimed "what?" but didnt stop to let me explain... I know i know, i should have got the reg/car no, kickin myself now

tampopo

markpb wrote: »

Ring (in this order) the clampers (6022500), the traffic control centre (1800293949) and the garda traffic corp (6669800). Tell each of them that there's a car obstructing the cycle and (if possible) the bus lane and ask for it to be removed. If you can, check back about half an hour later and see if it's still there. Repeat this process for a few days and if you're not having any luck, email parkingenforcement@dublincity.ie and tell them the clampers aren't covering your area.

thanks for these too. Going to put them on speed dial on the mobile!!!

beans

Little story;

I was cycling down through Crumlin yesterday, taxis half-in and half-out of the cycle-lane, busses everywhere, cars parked in the cycle-lane dotted all the way down the road... things were pretty hairy as I'd pull out to avoid a Fiesta sitting in my path and the car to my right. Anyway, I saw a couple of cops, one a cycle-cop, on the path so pulled over to have a word.

I asked them what the deal was with the cars parked in the cycle-lane, that they were a hazard and were making the lane effectively useless. The gard was very helpful, told me that generally if someone makes a complaint that he'll issue a ticket. Otherwise, he just lets things get on with it.

I didn't persue it. The ppl living in those houses have nowhere to park. The cycle-track on that stretch of road, while mandatory, is effectively useless to cyclists. In fact, it's more dangerous to enter and leave the flow of traffic than to be in the flow of traffic at all times.

What is the point of having systems that aren't enforced? What's the use in cycle-lanes that run through what is effectively a community car-park?

Edit - noting those numbers in my phone.

Ghost Rider

The point of having mandatory cycle paths in places where they are simply impractical is, I suspect, to fulfill a quota of some kind. That way when someone is asked in the Dáil "What about all the cycle paths you were supposed to provide?" some Government TD can say "Actually, we've provided nearly 120 miles of new cycle paths in the past year alone..."

beans wrote: »

What is the point of having systems that aren't enforced? What's the use in cycle-lanes that run through what is effectively a community car-park?

Edit - noting those numbers in my phone.

Gavin

Absolutely right. It would be nice if the opposition did a survey of existing 'cycle lanes' and gave a real number. Better yet if an independant assessor did it.

rp

Verb wrote: »

Absolutely right. It would be nice if the opposition did a survey of existing 'cycle lanes' and gave a real number. Better yet if an independant assessor did it.

I though Bypad did or were planning an audit, here?

beans

In hindsight, I should have asked the Garda to ticket the offending cars. At least then something would be done. I don't like the idea of these people getting ticketed in this way though. They have no alternative... but at least if they get chits, then they'll complain and maybe the situation will be remedied, rather than just worked-around and ignored.

Better to get these issues highlighted than just shrugged off, right? Conflicted.

Ghost Rider

If the situation is dangerous for you and for other cyclists, then you should push the issue. If someone gets ticketed and complains, it might also force the various authorities to "join up" their thinking - which would be a novel development for everyone...

beans wrote: »

In hindsight, I should have asked the Garda to ticket the offending cars. At least then something would be done. I don't like the idea of these people getting ticketed in this way though. They have no alternative... but at least if they get chits, then they'll complain and maybe the situation will be remedied, rather than just worked-around and ignored.

Better to get these issues highlighted than just shrugged off, right? Conflicted.

Tomas_V

Verb wrote: »

Absolutely right. It would be nice if the opposition did a survey of existing 'cycle lanes' and gave a real number. Better yet if an independant assessor did it.

The results could be very interesting if the audit classified them according to legal compliance.

Many 'cycle tracks' do not have the correct legal signs or road markings.