Bus Lane / Clamping Question

FIFA Fan

Long time reader first time posting... Not sure if this is the right place to post but I think it is. If not, apologies and please move the thread.

I was clamped today by Dublin City Council. I was wondering if someone may be able to help me determine if I have grounds for appeal please, as I'm feeling a bit hard done by. It seems like it may be a technical point but would appreciate any advice/guidance.

It happened on North Wall Quay, just outside A&L Goodbody's. If heading towards the O2/Point, this is the building on your left immediately before the Conference Centre. I'm sure many posters will know the area I'm talking about. Anyway, I parked there around 8:50am, went to college and checked it at lunch (around half 1) and all was fine. Arrived back at 6pm to find the car had been clamped at 3:45pm. The bus lane there is in operation 7am - 7pm Mon - Sat (was Mon - Fri until relatively recently, but this is irrelevant).

I parked where there is a "dotted" line with an arrow indicating traffic to keep right and a bus lane beginning / about to begin. To me, this wasn't "in" the bus lane. The car in front of me wasn't clamped. Behind me, the cycle lane which is part of the raised pedestrian footpath ends - I didn't block this whatsoever so cyclists could merge onto the road without any issue. I found this: http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1980/en/si/0358.html , which to me would suggest that as the words "Bus Lána" hadn't been written and I wasn't parked opposite a continuous white (bus lane) line, which was a further 15 - 20 feet up the road, then I shouldn't have been clamped. I thought it was very harsh as I wasn't blocking traffic or access for cyclists or causing an obstructon, and based on the definition of bus lane I think I may have grounds for appeal.

Here's the exact place I'm talking about: http://g.co/maps/vmkwt . The road markings have been re-done recently though. I was parked on the road in the space parallel to the traffic cone near end of the cycle lane.

Any thoughts or advice appreciated. Thanks.

FIFA Fan

OSI wrote: »

Is that road not a clearway during certain hours? There is a sign there stating so, but I can't see the hours on the sign.

You're right, it is indeed per that pic. But I was parked to the left of where this clearway applies and the reason for clamping on the notice was for having been found to be parked "bus lane - during period of operation". Thanks for the reply OSI.

Bigcheeze

I'd say if you're over the diagonal dotted line you're in the bus lane.

bijapos

Sounds like you're in the Bus Lane.

If you feel hard done by, send in a letter of appeal, costs 56c and a bit of time. All cars clamped by DCC are photographed front and back, they will also be able to point you to the relevant piece of legislation that they feel covers them.

You might win an appeal, I did a few years ago. I was clamped on St Stephens Green in a spot where there used to be double lines, but it had been tarred over recently and they never repainted the double yellows. There was about 30m of the road that was free of lines, I parked the van there, they clamped, I appealed and had the €80 refunded. Lines were painted on it shortly afterwards!

Markcheese

If you were parked in a clearway, but not a bus lane , and the ticket says bus lane then appeal, u should get away with it... Of course if the clearway is the start of the bus lane, then forget it....

paddysaab

There is a bus stop there so maybe you were in the bus lane. You certainly seem to have been in the bus stop.

Guy:Incognito

This thread popped in to my head when I was driving down there on Saturday night. Theres hatch marking all down the middle of that road, so parking anywhere along it is illegal.

paddyland

Did it ever occur to you to look beyond the ten feet in front of your bonnet? What is the point of a bus lane if you are going to block the entrance to it, and look for a 'technicality' to allow you to do so? Have you any consideration for the difficulty that causes to countless buses travelling along that bit of road, who have to indicate and pull into traffic on their outside, and then back in to the bus lane?

I don't agree with clamping cars in a bus lane or clearway, that just prolongs the obstruction. But failing enough trucks and crews to have your car lifted and impounded straight away, at least the bloody clamp might get it through to you not to park there again, if your own cop-on cannot figure it out.

It does provide a demonstration of the kind of narrow mentality out there, the 'I should be allowed to do whatever I wish, regardless of the effect on countless others' that really causes so much congestion and frustration, day in, day out, to people for whom the public road is their office.

Pay your fine and suck it up.

Jimdagym

paddyland wrote: »

Did it ever occur to you to look beyond the ten feet in front of your bonnet? What is the point of a bus lane if you are going to block the entrance to it, and look for a 'technicality' to allow you to do so? Have you any consideration for the difficulty that causes to countless buses travelling along that bit of road, who have to indicate and pull into traffic on their outside, and then back in to the bus lane?

I don't agree with clamping cars in a bus lane or clearway, that just prolongs the obstruction. But failing enough trucks and crews to have your car lifted and impounded straight away, at least the bloody clamp might get it through to you not to park there again, if your own cop-on cannot figure it out.

It does provide a demonstration of the kind of narrow mentality out there, the 'I should be allowed to do whatever I wish, regardless of the effect on countless others' that really causes so much congestion and frustration, day in, day out, to people for whom the public road is their office.

Pay your fine and suck it up.

:rolleyes:

FIFA Fan

paddyland wrote: »

Did it ever occur to you to look beyond the ten feet in front of your bonnet? What is the point of a bus lane if you are going to block the entrance to it, and look for a 'technicality' to allow you to do so? Have you any consideration for the difficulty that causes to countless buses travelling along that bit of road, who have to indicate and pull into traffic on their outside, and then back in to the bus lane?

I don't agree with clamping cars in a bus lane or clearway, that just prolongs the obstruction. But failing enough trucks and crews to have your car lifted and impounded straight away, at least the bloody clamp might get it through to you not to park there again, if your own cop-on cannot figure it out.

It does provide a demonstration of the kind of narrow mentality out there, the 'I should be allowed to do whatever I wish, regardless of the effect on countless others' that really causes so much congestion and frustration, day in, day out, to people for whom the public road is their office.

Pay your fine and suck it up.

Yes, it did occur to me to look in front of my bonnet. The end of the cycle lane was cleared, the road was still plenty wide enough and the bus lane had not begun (at least I thought it hadn't). I deliberately made sure I wasn't parked in what I understood to be a bus lane, and made a conscious effort to avoid blocking the end of the cycle lane and where pedestrians may cross. There is plenty of room to enter the bus lane. Look at the picture. Are you familiar with the location in question?

Also as I mentioned previously, they only recently changed the signs so that the bus lane is not Monday to Saturday instead of Monday to Friday. So buses can manage on a Sunday, and up until recently managed to get by on a Saturday too with cars parked there. I'm not sure why you're taking such offence to my post. I'm not an inconsiderate motorist and genuinely tried to parked away from what I believe to be the start of the bus lane to avoid causing any inconvenience.

I don't know where you get the idea that I think "'I should be allowed to do whatever I wish, regardless of the effect on countless others'"? Would you care to point it out to me. If I had parked in what I knew to be a bus lane and was clamped, I'd deserve to be clamped, no question about it. If what I parked in is not a bus lane and I'm not causing an obstruction, then what's the problem?

If I had a photo uploaded I'd link to it, I'll see what I can do as it illustrates it far better than I can describe here. Like I said, unless your familiar with the particular road in question, I think you're a little off the mark with you assumptions / accusations. Thanks for the feedback though.