Clamping?!

sudzy

This clamping craic is f€kn a joke!! I just lost a whole days wages and my weeks budget when i was parked perfectly safe...
It makes me sick to think that some private profit-making company is earning money out of a ridicilous parking situation in the college.
Not only was I late for my lab beacuse it took me 20mins to find somewhere, but then after ringing the clampers I missed another lecture having to wait an hour for them to arrive!!
Rant over! :mad:

ash xxx

What was their reason to clamp you if you were parked legally? Surely if you were in a designated car park space, you have grounds to appeal it

Alt_Grrr

sudzy wrote: »

parked perfectly safe...

Not that I doubt you for one second... but I'm doubting you.
I've seen some seriously dangerous parking around the campus (And in the apartments too).

if you parked in the pay and display car park by the end of the Callan Building and you didn't pay, you get clamped, simple as.

If on the other hand you parked somewhere "Perfectly Safe" for example blocking off a fire exit, consider getting clamped getting off lightly. (In this instance the fire bridge can be called to remove your car... there not exactly gentle when it comes to these things)

That said the traffic situation will take time to improve, I still see people using the campus as a means to drop there kids off to school or a handy parking spot while they nip out to the shops.

AdmaialNimitz

sudzy wrote: »

This clamping craic is f€kn a joke!! I just lost a whole days wages and my weeks budget when i was parked perfectly safe...
It makes me sick to think that some private profit-making company is earning money out of a ridicilous parking situation in the college.
Not only was I late for my lab beacuse it took me 20mins to find somewhere, but then after ringing the clampers I missed another lecture having to wait an hour for them to arrive!!
Rant over! :mad:

While it wont change that you missed lectures etc there is an appeal system...use it!!!!! The SU made sure that was in there just in case this sorta thing happened.

Lord TSC

Yeah, might help if you actually tell us where you parked and how. Not being negative but people online have a habit of making themselves the victims when if they explained the whole situation, they'd find out why they were clamped...

Astrobotty

I think that yes it is a disgrace but you were inaccurate in your rant.
The money from the clamping goes into a fund to improve parking facilities in Maynooth, the clamping people get the same pay whether they clamp or not.

Either way, absolute BS to see so many cars clamped everyday.

ALSO...
HAVE YOU SEEN THE SIZE OF THE PARKING SPACES ALONG THE NORTH CAMPUS RING ROAD?
It is awful, you could fit nearly two cars in each parking space.
what fools!
They are making things worse.

markc1184

This morning near the playing fields there was a car with most of it's rear tyre and boot hanging over the end of the parking space onto double yellows and it was clamped even though there was 75% of the car in a space and it wasn't causing any obstruction. IMO this type of clamping is a disgrace, if the majority of the car was on the yellows then it would be different. If it's this kind of situation that haopened the OP then I sympathise with you.

Any one tell me when the permits come into force and were can they be bought? Thanks.

Ostrom

markc1184 wrote: »

This morning near the playing fields there was a car with most of it's rear tyre and boot hanging over the end of the parking space onto double yellows and it was clamped even though there was 75% of the car in a space and it wasn't causing any obstruction. IMO this type of clamping is a disgrace, if the majority of the car was on the yellows then it would be different. If it's this kind of situation that haopened the OP then I sympathise with you.

Any one tell me when the permits come into force and were can they be bought? Thanks.

Some of the markings seem pointless, unless I'm missing something. The ones on the long bend by education house, and the verges beside auxilia were recently double yellowed. They aren't obstructing any entrances, and the one-way lane means no tight spaces??

EskimoJack

I'm bringing a grinder in my boot from now on so if anyone clamos me i'll cut it off, there is NO Law entitling any private company from interfering wth you car.

I have been clamped in Newbridge and Naas and cut the chain myself heard nothing about it afterwards

mp3guy

EskimoJack wrote: »

I'm bringing a grinder in my boot from now on so if anyone clamos me i'll cut it off, there is NO Law entitling any private company from interfering wth you car.

I have been clamped in Newbridge and Naas and cut the chain myself heard nothing about it afterwards

Well whatever about "fighting the power" and exercising your rights as a taxing paying motorist, sometimes you're clamped for good reason. For example, if I pulled up on campus after paying €40 for a permit only to see someone pulling out of a space without one, I'd want them done there and there for a pretty hefty fine. Similarly if I saw someone parked in a stupid place just to avoid double yellows (Which fyi are usually there for safety, eg allowing space for emergency vehicles like ambulances and fire brigades through).

Ostrom

mp3guy wrote: »

Well whatever about "fighting the power" and exercising your rights as a taxing paying motorist, sometimes you're clamped for good reason. For example, if I pulled up on campus after paying €40 for a permit only to see someone pulling out of a space without one, I'd want them done there and there for a pretty hefty fine. Similarly if I saw someone parked in a stupid place just to avoid double yellows (Which fyi are usually there for safety, eg allowing space for emergency vehicles like ambulances and fire brigades through).

Arrived in about two hours ago (1:30pm), passed two clamped cars and pissed off owners.

The first was parked at the first bend just after the playing fields (close to the canteen), the second a little further on. Neiter appeared to be causing any critical obstruction, there were no entrances within 20 metres of either space.

I cannot understand why these particular areas are now marked double yellow.

AdmaialNimitz

efla wrote: »

The first was parked at the first bend just after the playing fields (close to the canteen)

Almost certain your not allowed to park within a certain number of meters of a bend/corner...

Ostrom

AdmaialNimitz wrote: »

Almost certain your not allowed to park within a certain number of meters of a bend/corner...

5 metres from an entrace no? It makes sense to restrict with two-way traffic and limited field of vision, but with the one way in place...?

Daemos

efla wrote: »

I cannot understand why these particular areas are now marked double yellow.

I can't comment on the placement of the yellow lines, but if there are yellow lines there then they shouldn't have been parked there, simple as

Ostrom

Daemos wrote: »

I can't comment on the placement of the yellow lines, but if there are yellow lines there then they shouldn't have been parked there, simple as

The issue is with the placement of the lines. These lines appeared just before christmas if I remember, across areas where cars have parked before. They are not beside entrances, and views of oncoming traffic are no longer needed.

I'm largely in favour of the permit and pooling system, but these particular zones seem to add nothing to safety and seem to be reliable ground for clampers.

BTW I would love to know if the guy kicking and beating rocks against the clamp succeeded.

mp3guy

efla wrote: »

The issue is with the placement of the lines. These lines appeared just before christmas if I remember, across areas where cars have parked before. They are not beside entrances, and views of oncoming traffic are no longer needed.

In an emergency situation a vehicle made need to break the one way system, which then going by your description, explains the necessity for the placement of those specific lines.

Ostrom

mp3guy wrote: »

In an emergency situation a vehicle made need to break the one way system, which then going by your description, explains the necessity for the placement of those specific lines.

But....but....I'm really angry. Surely emotion defeats logic?

TouchingVirus

So when did the lines appear around the north campus creating parking spaces - as in the parking boxes? Because whoever came up with that idea needs a kick in the head.

A lot of people are driving Nissan Micras and other small hatchbacks, they're leaving 3ft odd of space free in the box. They should box off the first spot and the last spot (i.e. the two spots where in front or behind them are double yellows) and leave everything in between unmarked. In the last few months I've not noticed anybody who wasn't left with enough room to get out of the space they parked in, the free space left behind cars parked in spaces at the minute is needlessly wasteful. I reckon you could get 3 saloons or 4 hatchbacks more into the single stretch beside the football pitches if the cars were closer together. Of course by breaking the box lines you might be liable to a clamp :rolleyes: I'll be raising this as a point on Thursday at a staff briefing. I encourage you to bring it up in the student briefing too (Wednesday, 1st March, The Venue, 11am)

If I were a student I'd also campaign for more student parking. Specifically, the car park down by the N4 shouldn't be staff parking, it should be designated student parking. The fact that the car park next to the primary/secondary schools are undesignated is neither here nor there, students have no designated car parking area apart from along the northern bounds of the campus (next to the SU and Sports Hall).

ash xxx

Car parking spaces are legally required to be a certain size, and have to be made to be able to accommodate anything from a Micra to a Range Rover. They're not made that size to piss people off, they have to be a certain size.

When those lines weren't there, people were parking atrociously and dangerously on the ring road.

TouchingVirus

In all my years here I've never seen (nor had experience of) somebody parking so close to another car that the other car couldn't get out. That's what the room is there for, for manoeuvering in and out of parking spaces. If you can't manoeuvre in because your car is too big then don't park there, leave it for a smaller car. It is still a space somebody could use. Instead of wasting space all over the place.

Also, could you elaborate on dangerous/attrocious parking? Because I'm not talking about double yellow parking, obstructing views or anything like that - merely the fact they can fit more cars into the limited space.

There is no legal obligation to mark out individual spots, Dublin City has been doing without on many streets for years - just a solid white line to say "This length of road between the path and this line is parking, fit in where you can".

sudzy

Just to get back to ya's, after cooling off for the week..
I was parked half on space and the fron of my car was half out of the space, on a double yellow.
In fairness the guy was just doin his job and if any part of me was on the double yellow, then I suppose he's got full right to clamp it, still f*kn annoying though.

I heard 25+ cars were clamped today, someone's definitly making a good bit of money somewhere!

TouchingVirus

I saw a car getting clamped today and it parked just like your one sudzy, only the back was out of the box onto a double yellow by the rear wheel. All I all I'd reckon there was three foot outside the box but it was next to a turn :)I suppose it's good they're being consistent.

villainous

Can I ask, as someone who seems to be off the right mailing list:mad:, when are the permits coming in?

Daemos

You can apply online for one here: https://nuim.apcoaonline.com/payments/beginpermitpayment.html

TouchingVirus

villainous wrote: »

Can I ask, as someone who seems to be off the right mailing list:mad:, when are the permits coming in?

Permits are free for this semester, but they'll be charged for in September. The clampdown this week is only on illegal parking (obviously) and not for parking in the wrong car park

shamtastic

I think this clamping situation is completely unethical. Do they think all of us just blatantly ignore the parking rules for a laugh? Sometimes you just have to park the car somewhere as you've been driving around for 10 mins! If you're gonna clamp, start with the dangerous/stupidly parked cars, of which there will be enough for them to make a living.

I got clamped today for being on a double yellow on the road behind the apartments. I know thats technically fair, but when I arrived in at 12 this morning there was literally NO spaces available and I even drove around the campus twice. There was a rugby match of sorts on with plenty of parents cars etc. taking up a sizable number of spaces around the pitches. I had to leave the car somewhere so I left it there in line with another 50 or so cars. Low and behold they decide to come in at 4pm and clamp everyone who is still in college as if we just pulled up and dumped them there 5 mins ago.

The Kilcock road has been dug up so more people are parking on the campus. And could they not at least hold off on clamping until the permits come in so we can see if there will be less volume. They clamped about 15 cars around me too and it cost €82 in total for me. The clamper was actually a sound chap and he said the company just rang him and said clamp anyone on double yellows. He even admitted it's stupid as he knew the parking situation!

mp3guy

shamtastic wrote: »

I think this clamping situation is completely unethical.

There are no ethics in boolean logic, either you're in a no-park zone or you're not, simple as.

shamtastic wrote: »

Sometimes you just have to park the car somewhere as you've been driving around for 10 mins!

No, you don't "just have to park the car somewhere". No one forces you to stop driving after the clock hits 10 minutes. You keep driving or park on a different premises.

shamtastic wrote: »

I got clamped today for being on a double yellow on the road behind the apartments. I know thats technically fair,

It's 100% fair and expected.

shamtastic wrote: »

but when I arrived in at 12 this morning there was literally NO spaces available and I even drove around the campus twice.

This means nothing, it's neither here nor there. There is no "Oh, they drove around campus TWICE? Why didn't you say so, no clamp for them!"

shamtastic wrote: »

Low and behold they decide to come in at 4pm and clamp everyone who is still in college as if we just pulled up and dumped them there 5 mins ago.

Again, temporality has nothing to do with the clamping process.

shamtastic wrote: »

The Kilcock road has been dug up so more people are parking on the campus.

Parking on this road was actually not legal either, as told by the many emails sent around with warnings from the Gardaí.

shamtastic wrote: »

The clamper was actually a sound chap and he said the company just rang him and said clamp anyone on double yellows. He even admitted it's stupid as he knew the parking situation!

Yes, but he still does his job because rules are rules and his company know a lot of people just don't learn and will keep firing off €82 cheques to them.

shamtastic

Yeah I do understand you have many valid points mp3guy and I paid the fine for taking the risk! But I do think they should hold off on mass clamping until the permits come in. Why should a load of students get clamped in the afternoon if even 20 people who work in the town have taken spots in the college since the morning? Or another 30 spots taken when there's college rugby games on with travelling teams? It seems highly unfair on people who pay to go to the college. Makes you wonder why these permits weren't brought in sooner! Thankfully this should be sorted soon but they really seem to be clamping alot right now when I think it would be fairer to hold off and clamp mainly blatantly dangerous parking.

xxshebeexx

shamtastic wrote: »

I know thats technically fair, but when I arrived in at 12 this morning there was literally NO spaces available and I even drove around the campus twice.

Then maybe try coming in as early as you can.. there's plenty of spaces available at 9am..

Turtyturd

Is it random which cars get clamped?

I seeen 2 cars parked on double yellow lines at the pedestrian crossing on the North Campus just as you come over the bridge a few days ago, and when I was heading back to the library an hour later the second car (i.e the one closer to the legitimate parking space) had been clamped while the one in front was left alone.

Alt_Grrr

Turtyturd wrote: »

Is it random which cars get clamped?

No, usually not, but they could have run out of clamps and had to go get some more.