Clamping

Motor Mouth: Gabes

Hi guys,

My name is Gabes and I work as a researcher on Motor Mouth. We'd like to get the Boards.ie view on the topics we discuss each week. Next Monday one of the issues we'll talk about is clamping. Obviously no-one ever wants their car clamped but there are a few issues we specifically want to consider:

1) Have you ever appealed a clamping fine? What were the circumstances and most importantly was the appeal successful?
2) Should the clamping industry be subject to tighter regulation or even nationalised to prevent over-zealous clamping? Is it right that clampers recieve bonusses or commission for achieving 'key performance indicators'?

Let us know what you think.

Thx Gabes.

cyclopath2001

Gabes Motor Mouth wrote: »

Hi guys,

My name is Gabes and I work as a researcher on Motor Mouth. We'd like to get the Boards.ie view on the topics we discuss each week. Next Monday one of the issues we'll talk about

Let us know what you think.

Thx Gabes.

Clamping is a cheap, quick enforcement alternative to towing a car away. Ideally, illegally parked cars should be towed away so as to leave space for law-abiding drivers and more importantly for safety reasons (e.g. car parked alongside continuous white line, car parked obstructing normal flow of traffic, car parked on pavement, car parked too close to a junction, car parked obscuring visibility, car parked on wrong side of road or in a cycle track).

If traffic control resources are to be efficiently deployed, then KPIs are necessary. Where traffic control companies unlawfully clamp or remove cars, they should be fined heavily and where they promote lawful parking and safety, they should be rewarded.

hoodie6029

Just on the commisson they earn, it is not there to promote over-enthusiastic clamping but to prevent it. It prevents bribe taking. Make for more effective workers. They could patrol the same two streets all day and still get paid or they could drive around, identify more parking 'blackspots' and just do their job properly.
I would would get hung up on that point at all.

The clamper's targets are easy to meet. A drive around the city centre proves that.

Nationalisation, not that it is likely in the current climate, would probably lead to a much worse service.

As the above poster says, dangerously parked cars should be towed immediately.
Off point but they should also be subject to penalty points and a mandatory Court appearance.

squod

Gabes Motor Mouth wrote: »

2) Should the clamping industry be subject to tighter regulation
Thx Gabes.

There is no regulation! Anyhow why bother doing an article at all. Surely you're just promoting these ''companies''.

-Corkie-

squod wrote: »

There is no regulation! Anyhow why bother doing an article at all. Surely you're just promoting these ''companies''.

Must have little to be doing. Any time I go to dublin I throw my big bolt cutters in the boot just for fear...

-Corkie-

First week was clocking then guys and girls cars.....

Whats coming next week......... The consequences of flatuating while driving in the middle lane on the M50............................




with your foglights off of course...

TestTransmission

How about this for a topic?

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055970995

SARASON

SARASON wrote: »

First week was clocking then guys and girls cars.....

Whats coming next week......... The consequences of flatuating while driving in the middle lane on the M50............................




with your foglights off of course...

they might start reading out car reviews from smokerspack !

Tefral

Clamping should be regulated in this country and i firmly believe its illegal..

Outside of local authoritys, which have clamping wrote in to bye laws of course..

Why is it illegal? Well take your pick below.

1. If your under 18, you are deemed not to be able to enter into a contract as you are a minor, eg. you dont have the legal capacity, so the implied contract of "parking here and accepting the consequences" as per the signs is totally illegal, so anyone under 18 should have the clamp off straight away.

2. Road Traffic Act, 1933 167.—(1) Every person who, without the consent of the owner or the person in charge of a mechanically propelled vehicle and without other lawful authority or reasonable cause interferes or attempts to interfere in any way with the mechanism of such vehicle while it is stationary in a public place or gets on or into or attempts to get on or into such vehicle while it is so stationary shall be guilty of an offence under this section and shall be liable on summary conviction thereof to a fine not exceeding twenty pounds.

3. Under Section 9 of the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act 1994 anyone without legal authority or reasonable excuse, wilfully prevents or interrupts the free passage of any person or vehicle in any public place shall be guilty of an offence.

squod

Regulation is the last thing I'd want, it's just gonna let these pirates do as they want. Fuhk them!

Tefral

squod wrote: »

Regulation is the last thing I'd want, it's just gonna let these pirates do as they want. Fuhk them!

regulate it out of existance like Scotland, where it is deemed a form of extortion under their laws...

Motor Mouth: Daragh

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/probe-as-clampers-lift-car-with-children-2263953.html

By Olivia Kelleher
Monday July 19 2010


GARDAI are investigating an incident during which clampers lifted a car on to a tow truck with two young children inside.

The bizarre incident occurred in Cork city on Saturday when a mother and her two children, returned to their car at around 4pm. It was parked illegally in a loading bay on South Mall in the city.

As the trio arrived, they saw a harness had already been attached to the car.

The children, said to be aged nine and 10, hopped into the car before it was lifted off the ground in the hope of preventing it being towed away.
But the determined clampers went ahead and hoisted the car off the ground, with the two children inside.

A stand-off ensued when the private operators refused to release the car.
Gardai were called and arrived at the scene as a crowd gathered to watch the drama.

The gardai were forced to wait for advice on how to handle the situation as the workers continued to refuse to release the car.

However, the matter was resolved after 45 minutes and the car was returned to its owner without any fine having to be paid.

A garda spokesman said last night that an investigation was under way into the incident.

AA spokesman Conor Faughnan said: "It does seem like a heavy-handed incident.

"You would like to think that common sense and civility would prevail. I am only surprised that this type of incident does not happen more often.

"That said, rules are rules," he added.

- Olivia Kelleher
Irish Independent

MagicMarker

Motor Mouth (Daragh) wrote: »

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/probe-as-clampers-lift-car-with-children-2263953.html

By Olivia Kelleher
Monday July 19 2010


GARDAI are investigating an incident during which clampers lifted a car on to a tow truck with two young children inside.

The bizarre incident occurred in Cork city on Saturday when a mother and her two children, returned to their car at around 4pm. It was parked illegally in a loading bay on South Mall in the city.

As the trio arrived, they saw a harness had already been attached to the car.

The children, said to be aged nine and 10, hopped into the car before it was lifted off the ground in the hope of preventing it being towed away.
But the determined clampers went ahead and hoisted the car off the ground, with the two children inside.

A stand-off ensued when the private operators refused to release the car.
Gardai were called and arrived at the scene as a crowd gathered to watch the drama.

The gardai were forced to wait for advice on how to handle the situation as the workers continued to refuse to release the car.

However, the matter was resolved after 45 minutes and the car was returned to its owner without any fine having to be paid.

A garda spokesman said last night that an investigation was under way into the incident.

AA spokesman Conor Faughnan said: "It does seem like a heavy-handed incident.

"You would like to think that common sense and civility would prevail. I am only surprised that this type of incident does not happen more often.

"That said, rules are rules," he added.

- Olivia Kelleher
Irish Independent

This is retarded.

The kids should have been told to get out and the car should have been towed away. No question.

Anan1

I'd worry for those children with a mother like that.

hoodie6029

hoodie6029 wrote: »

Just on the commisson they earn, it is not there to promote over-enthusiastic clamping but to prevent it. It prevents bribe taking. .

I love when this is used to justify overinflated salaries to incompetents

I also don't understand how "we don't want you to park here so we're going to force you to park here and pay for it" is supposed to make any sense...

delly

As much as clamping sucks, before it was introduced in Dublin in '98 (I think) it was near impossible to find a parking spot in the city centre and likewise find a spot in a loading bay. It literally changed the way people parked in a matter of months whereas previously the same cars would be wrapped around St Stephan's Greens from 9 until 5 without giving a feck about the parking warden.

Anan1

bluewolf wrote: »

I also don't understand how "we don't want you to park here so we're going to force you to park here and pay for it" is supposed to make any sense...

Deterrence.