Another parking fine whine.

vard

I won't make this any more drawn out than it needs to be.

I've received a 40Eur fine for parking on a double yellow line in dalkey while I ran in to the local supervalu to pick up what has become an unfortunately expensive loaf of bread.

Oh, but why not simply park legally and pay up you'll probably ask? Well, there aren't any effin' spaces there. I know there are 5 spaces near the AIB; all of which I have never seen unoccupied.

It's this ****e which is killing local businesses. There are no alternative parking options in the area, and the few spaces which you can actually pay for are always taken.

Dalkey, Dun Laoghaire - a plethora of other small towns and already struggling local businesses are being pillaged by this easy-short-term-profit money grabbing idiocy. Once busy local town centres are a dying breed already, it's as if driving people away is the objective.

That's my rant. Feel free to tick me off now.

Anan1

So the church car park, the Queens car park the Supervalue car park, and the DART car park were all full, and there was nothing free down by the primary school where there are always a couple of spaces? I call bollocks. Why didn't you drive into the Supervalue, if you hate walking a few steps so much?

franksm

Dalkey's pretty nasty when people are parked on the double-yellows, especially outside the chipper

vard

Anan1 wrote: »

So the church car park, the Queens car park the Supervalue car park, and the DART car park were all full, and there was nothing free down by the primary school where there are always a couple of spaces? I call bollocks. Why didn't you drive into the Supervalue, if you hate walking a few steps so much?

I spend my life walking; I quite enjoy it, and if there are free alternatives I'd welcome the choice of a stroll to and from the car.

I don't carry change, and either way I take issue with having to pay to run into a local shop for a single purchase.

It seems you know the area better than I do anyway . I thought the supervalue carpark was part of the paid system.

I can't argue that I'm legally in the wrong. I have no grounds to dispute the charge and I won't bother doing so. It's purely the fact that this system is crippling the town and so many others like it. Only last year I talked with someone who ran a shop there - it was always close to the bone, and business had always been a struggle; with the introduction of parking charges though he had no choice other than to close up. He had very little local trade anyway; there isn't a significant local population, so he always relied on people being able to get there from out of town.

I saw an old video of a car driving from Dun Laoghaire into town in the 1960's/70's - you wouldn't recognise the place. Not because of new buildings or the like, but because the streets were full of people. It had an atmosphere, it was busy, there was a local trade and healthy economy.

I tried to find it, but unfortunately I can't. I know this is Dublin city itself, but take it as an example. Streets lined with cars and all that. http://youtu.be/1lC5zq_q3lA

A different, lesser, but interesting example of Dun Laoghaire in the 70s: http://youtu.be/Er-ANVQzx78

** just to mention - it's a non issue now - but I wasn't parked on the main road, but on one of the side streets. Just by the dry cleaners, in front of one of the few (then occupied) spaces there are in the area.

Anan1

vard wrote: »

I spend my life walking; I quite enjoy it, and if there are free alternatives I'd welcome the choice of a stroll to and from the car.

I don't carry change, and either way I take issue with having to pay to run into a local shop for a single purchase.

It seems you know the area better than I do anyway . I thought the supervalue carpark was part of the paid system.

I can't argue that I'm legally in the wrong. I have no grounds to dispute the charge and I won't bother doing so. It's purely the fact that this system is crippling the town and so many others like it. Only last year I talked with someone who ran a shop there - it was always close to the bone, and business had always been a struggle; with the introduction of parking charges though he had no choice other than to close up. He had very little local trade anyway; there isn't a significant local population, so he always relied on people being able to get there from out of town.

This is why the first 15 minutes are free.

vard wrote: »

I saw an old video of a car driving from Dun Laoghaire into town in the 1960's/70's - you wouldn't recognise the place. Not because of new buildings or the like, but because the streets were full of people. It had an atmosphere, it was busy, there was a local trade and healthy economy.

I tried to find it, but unfortunately I can't. I know this is Dublin city itself, but take it as an example. Streets lined with cars and all that. http://youtu.be/1lC5zq_q3lA

A different, lesser, but interesting example of Dun Laoghaire in the 70s: http://youtu.be/Er-ANVQzx78

** just to mention - it's a non issue now - but I wasn't parked on the main road, but on one of the side streets. Just by the dry cleaners, in front of one of the few (then occupied) spaces there are in the area.

There were far fewer cars back then - many people walked or cycled instead.

PassMoz

Wow, lazy guy crys because he parked where he wasnt suppose to and got fined.

What did you expect to happen....duh

Sids Not

If you live in Dalkey how come you didnt get them to deliver the bread..........:D




soz.....cheap shot...:)

Our man in Havana

PassMoz wrote: »

Wow, lazy guy crys because he parked where he wasnt suppose to and got fined.

What did you expect to happen....duh

Sids Not wrote: »

If you live in Dalkey how come you didnt get them to deliver the bread..........:D




soz.....cheap shot...:)

Cool the attitude folks.

vard

Sids Not wrote: »

If you live in Dalkey how come you didnt get them to deliver the bread..........:D




soz.....cheap shot...:)

Hah!

Unfortunately I don't live in Dalkey - don't even live in Ireland technically! I live in London; I'm only back in Ireland for a few months!

Lazy? Most definitely not.

ZENER

:eek: You didn't have your Park Anywhere lights on ?!

Seriously though I agree with you to an extent, from the customer point of view it makes going a couple of miles out of town to the shopping center with its free parking more desirable. For the town in makes the traffic run smoother but for the shop keeper and business owners it destroys business ! People just are too afraid to lumped with a fine so go out of town.

Case in point : Trim town council once allowed a 10 minute grace period so that customers could pop into the shop for a quick purchase, they removed or reduced that grace period in most streets and now businesses are up in arms over it !! Threatening the council with withholding rates etc. Customers are no longer willing to take the risk ! Swords main street is the same, no grace period at all - result business suffers. The majority of people will go to the Pavilions instead with its 2 hour free parking.

The practicalities of it are though that staff working in these very shops will occupy all the spaces if they are free. Some form of compromise needs to be reached ?!

Ken

bazz26

This thread won't end well.

MonaghanPenguin

vard wrote: »

I saw an old video of a car driving from Dun Laoghaire into town in the 1960's/70's - you wouldn't recognise the place. Not because of new buildings or the like, but because the streets were full of people. It had an atmosphere, it was busy, there was a local trade and healthy economy.

I tried to find it, but unfortunately I can't. I know this is Dublin city itself, but take it as an example. Streets lined with cars and all that. http://youtu.be/1lC5zq_q3lA

A different, lesser, but interesting example of Dun Laoghaire in the 70s: http://youtu.be/Er-ANVQzx78

** just to mention - it's a non issue now - but I wasn't parked on the main road, but on one of the side streets. Just by the dry cleaners, in front of one of the few (then occupied) spaces there are in the area.

Post hoc ergo propter hoc. Ireland in 2012 is a very different place than 1960/70s and the ability to park cars where ever you feel like has nothing to do with why places like Dun Laoghaire and other towns of a similar disposition are much less busy now than they were then.

Marcusm

vard wrote: »

I won't make this any more drawn out than it needs to be.

I've received a 40Eur fine for parking on a double yellow line in dalkey while I ran in to the local supervalu to pick up what has become an unfortunately expensive loaf of bread.

Oh, but why not simply park legally and pay up you'll probably ask? Well, there aren't any effin' spaces there. I know there are 5 spaces near the AIB; all of which I have never seen unoccupied.

It's this ****e which is killing local businesses. There are no alternative parking options in the area, and the few spaces which you can actually pay for are always taken.

Dalkey, Dun Laoghaire - a plethora of other small towns and already struggling local businesses are being pillaged by this easy-short-term-profit money grabbing idiocy. Once busy local town centres are a dying breed already, it's as if driving people away is the objective.

That's my rant. Feel free to tick me off now.

Is it the Spar or the Supervalue Which has its own car park? No real excuse given the number of places around, unless they sell a particularly special loaf.

Marcusm

vard wrote: »

Hah!

Unfortunately I don't live in Dalkey - don't even live in Ireland technically! I live in London; I'm only back in Ireland for a few months!

Lazy? Most definitely not.

You live in London, where the streets are filled with toyota iQs with cameras on them to catch double yellow parkers without stopping or even the bothering to put a ticket on the window, and you think that DLR council might be ess aggressive; sorry they've outsourced parking enforcement to a US company just like most London boroughs.

vard

Marcusm wrote: »

You live in London, where the streets are filled with toyota iQs with cameras on them to catch double yellow parkers without stopping or even the bothering to put a ticket on the window, and you think that DLR council might be ess aggressive; sorry they've outsourced parking enforcement to a US company just like most London boroughs.

London doesn't really compare. I don't know anybody who drives in London - it has a fully functioning, sprawling and well connected public transport system; you'd want to be fairly minted to deal with the congestion charge.

Dublin, and in particular these suburbs, have the dart: Infrequent and mismanaged with half its catchment area being the Irish sea! Most people have no choice but to drive. I'm sure they'd welcome an alternative to parking charges!

I've always thought the privatisation of these enforcement agencies to be concerning. Illegal parking obviously needs to be countered, but to not to the detriment of local business and communities; these private multinational companies have no consideration for either.

Anan1

vard wrote: »

London doesn't really compare. I don't know anybody who drives in London - it has a fully functioning, sprawling and well connected public transport system; you'd want to be fairly minted to deal with the congestion charge.

Dublin, and in particular these suburbs, have the dart: Infrequent and mismanaged with half its catchment area being the Irish sea! Most people have no choice but to drive. I'm sure they'd welcome an alternative to parking charges!

I've always thought the privatisation of these enforcement agencies to be concerning. Illegal parking obviously needs to be countered, but to not to the detriment of local business and communities; these private multinational companies have no consideration for either.

But you could have parked legally in a spot for up to 15 minutes without paying. DLRCoCo offer this to support local businesses and to facilitate people just like you. You weren't somehow forced into parking on double yellow lines, you chose to block half the road for your own convenience.

Mech1

I shop in Dalkey one day per year, its always the last day of business before Christmas when I collect my turkey and ham from Doyles butchers. As you can imagine things are pretty busy that day and in 15 years the longest I have had to drive around looking for a space has been approx 5 min.

No problem parking legally if you are willing to walk 200 yards or so. If you instead want to park outside the shop you are visiting you get what you deserve.

TwoShedsJackson

bazz26 wrote: »

This thread won't end well.

It hasn't started well either.

Welease

vard wrote: »

It's this ****e which is killing local businesses.

Dalkey, Dun Laoghaire - a plethora of other small towns and already struggling local businesses are being pillaged by this easy-short-term-profit money grabbing idiocy. Once busy local town centres are a dying breed already, it's as if driving people away is the objective.

I can't comment on Dalkey, as I'm not familiar with the area, but you may be suprised (as I was) to learn that in many areas it's the local business's that request the implementation of paid parking.

I know a local business owner in Edenderry and was somewhat surprised to find out upon implementation of a similar system that it had been requested by the small local business owners. The free parking system was being abused by locals and workers who parked up for the day to attend their offices or travel by public transport into Dublin etc. leaving no spaces for shoppers to park and visit the shops.. It was felt that it was the free parking that was causing their low footfall.
As with Dalkey you get the first 15 mninutes free to pop into a shop(s), beyond that you pay per hour for your parking.. It's now actually more attractive to visit the town centre as parking is available and close to the shops I want to visit, and the few business owners I know are also happy with the change..

Food for thought

Anan1

I'm reluctant to say this because the OP seems like a decent enough person, but what links all of these parking threads is an extreme sense of entitlement. Double parking on a narrow street severely inconveniences others. People need to start taking responsibility for their own actions, and the effect of these actions on those around them. It's this absence of a social conscience that necessitates regulation and enforcement.

Davidth88

Without a doubt some parking enforcement has a detrimental effect on local businesses .

The examples I have locally are Leixlip where they had the terrible disc parking , so you had to try to find a shop that sold these discs , only to discover they only sold them in 10s no use at all if you wanted to visit one shop only once !! .... up shot of this , everyone avoided Liexlip and shops started to close , the council have now changed this.

Then Celbridge , where they had a traffic warden ' from hell ' , who decided that walking to the machine to get a tkt was long enough to issue a fine ( he really did !! ) , action taken .... they now have to observe the car for 10 mins.

However , I note the OP parked on double yellow lines , which according to the ROTR means no parking at any time ! I don't know the place in question , but often these are in place to stop people parking in narrow places , or near junctions.

CreepingDeath

Even when everyone is legally parking in Dalkey, there's still a bottleneck where traffic tends to get reduced to one lane outside Queens pub.

I'm glad they're actively enforcing the parking rules.

There's also Dalkey garage, I wouldn't be surprised if they sell bread in the shop and you'd have guaranteed parking.

Pkiernan

Problem solved...

the culture of deference

Davidth88 wrote: »

Then Celbridge , where they had a traffic warden ' from hell ' , who decided that walking to the machine to get a tkt was long enough to issue a fine ( he really did !! ) , action taken .... they now have to observe the car for 10 mins..

I got a ticket in June, parked crossed road and went to machine, came back to car, ticket on window, warden taking a photo of my car. I have written to the council but they have not replied to me yet.

OP at least you refrained from using the disabled bays.

If anyone knows Xtravision in leixlip.

2 disabled bays outside the shop. Some morons park in between them rendering both spaces unusable.