I have just been Clamped

wotzgoingon

Hi is it possible to remove a clamp legally. I was parked outside Galway hospital. I read on here before where someone cut one off their car. I don't want to get screwed for damaging the clamp.

Supergurrier

I do believe thats a council clamp ? Whats written on it and if so i would just pay up.

Edit : Nope private company called parkrite http://guh.hse.ie/Patients_and_Visitors/Parking/

Mycroft H

wotzgoingon wrote: »

Hi is it possible to remove a clamp legally. I was parked outside Galway hospital. I read on here before where someone cut one off their car. I don't want to get screwed for damaging the clamp.

If its chained round the drop link, its not top bad of a job.

wotzgoingon

Supergurrier wrote: »

I do believe thats a council clamp ? Whats written on it and if so i would just pay up.

Edit : Nope private company called parkrite http://guh.hse.ie/Patients_and_Visitors/Parking/

Yes it is parkrite. Ring a Dublin number and pay€75 release fee. Not a hope am I paying that. Can I legally cut it off?

whomitconcerns

(Posted from my high horse)

Why do you feel you dont have to pay? You were parking against the rules, yes?

zl1whqvjs75cdy

did you have the hazards on OP? Known clamper repellent. In all seriousness I'd cut it off but up to yourself.

TheDriver

I am wondering the same. a photo might be good to see why you were clamped?

Mycroft H

wotzgoingon wrote: »

Yes it is parkrite. Ring a Dublin number and pay€75 release fee. Not a hope am I paying that. Can I legally cut it off?

Not really. You'd risk being charged with criminal damage. Safer to remove it without damage.

If that's too much hassle for you, pay the declamp fee

Bandara

Hospitals all have considerable carparks

If you'd used one you'd wouldn't have been clamped

Pay up

keithclancy

wotzgoingon wrote: »

Yes it is parkrite. Ring a Dublin number and pay€75 release fee. Not a hope am I paying that. Can I legally cut it off?

Legally.... no.

It's kind of like being able to Legally able to shoplift, there are only repercussions if you get caught :pac::pac::pac::pac::pac:

norrie rugger

wotzgoingon wrote: »

Hi is it possible to remove a clamp legally. I was parked outside Galway hospital. I read on here before where someone cut one off their car. I don't want to get screwed for damaging the clamp.

Did it hurt?

norrie rugger

Bandara wrote: »

Hospitals all have considerable carparks

If you'd used one you'd wouldn't have been clamped

Pay up

Do they really?

Naas has a tiny one that is prepay. It's really helpful that you have to prepay for a parking space, before you go into A&E. I might be 1 hour I might (probably) be 10 hours.
Heard of people getting clamped after they are sent (to wait again) for an x-ray.

Hospital parking, for patients, is the worst kind of profiteering there is.

Somewhere like the the Coomb charges something like €4 for the first 3or4 hours then €5 PER hour after that. So screw you if your wife is giving birth and you can not go move your car, we are either clamping you or charging you ridiculous parking costs

runawaybishop

Bandara wrote: »

Hospitals all have considerable carparks

If you'd used one you'd wouldn't have been clamped

Pay up

When attending UHG it is advisable to leave at least two hours extra as there can be a queue for parking spaces at peak times e.g. visiting times, large out patients clinics etc.

Parking at GUH can be ****e at times.

djimi

norrie rugger wrote: »

Do they really?

Naas has a tiny one that is prepay. It's really helpful that you have to prepay for a parking space, before you go into A&E. I might be 1 hour I might (probably) be 10 hours.
Heard of people getting clamped after they are sent (to wait again) for an x-ray.

Hospital parking, for patients, is the worst kind of profiteering there is.

Somewhere like the the Coomb charges something like €4 for the first 3or4 hours then €5 PER hour after that. So screw you if your wife is giving birth and you can not go move your car, we are either clamping you or charging you ridiculous parking costs

Agreed, parking in Naas hospital is a joke. There isnt even an alternative; the on street parking is also prepaid, and the multistory car park is too far down town to be a viable alternative.

Charging for hospital parking is pretty low tbh. I can understand why they need to deter people from using it all day (especially somewhere like Naas), but once you can show that you have a genuine reason for being at the hospital then there should be no charge.

Fozzie Bear

wotzgoingon wrote: »

Hi is it possible to remove a clamp legally. I was parked outside Galway hospital. I read on here before where someone cut one off their car. I don't want to get screwed for damaging the clamp.

Hmmmm, is this you?

Galway Parking ****

keithclancy

norrie rugger wrote: »

Do they really?

Naas has a tiny one that is prepay. It's really helpful that you have to prepay for a parking space, before you go into A&E. I might be 1 hour I might (probably) be 10 hours.
Heard of people getting clamped after they are sent (to wait again) for an x-ray.

Hospital parking, for patients, is the worst kind of profiteering there is.

Somewhere like the the Coomb charges something like €4 for the first 3or4 hours then €5 PER hour after that. So screw you if your wife is giving birth and you can not go move your car, we are either clamping you or charging you ridiculous parking costs

Drive and park and then walk into Accident and Emergency, over here they would tell you to gtfo and go make an appointment with your GP.

Col200sx

wotzgoingon wrote: »

Hi is it possible to remove a clamp legally. I was parked outside Galway hospital. I read on here before where someone cut one off their car. I don't want to get screwed for damaging the clamp.

OP, are you saying you were parked outside the hospital within the grounds, or are you saying you were parked outside of the grounds of the hospital altogether?

Not very clear.

I'm aware there's clamping in operation across from UHG, outside of the Ulster Bank and those units. Have often seen many clamped there.

EDIT: Sounds like you're parked right outside entrance to hospital.

keithclancy

Ah no .. it was this one

Anan1

runawaybishop wrote: »

When attending UHG it is advisable to leave at least two hours extra as there can be a queue for parking spaces at peak times e.g. visiting times, large out patients clinics etc.

I'm sorry, but this is complete and utter nonsense.

norrie rugger

keithclancy wrote: »

Drive and park and then walk into Accident and Emergency, over here they would tell you to gtfo and go make an appointment with your GP.

Sorry, I'll tell people to get their children to go to A&E alone in future, as they are not allowed drive them.


As for adults attending, I could think of many reasons that you would need to attend that would allow you to drive. One example is something like meningitis or other disease. Another? Kidney Stones. Another? Lacerations
Want more, or is your straw man all used up?

keithclancy

Anan1 wrote: »

I'm sorry, but this is complete nonsense.

Says so on their page:
http://guh.hse.ie/Patients_and_Visitors/Parking/

When attending UHG it is advisable to leave at least two hours extra as there can be a queue for parking spaces at peak times e.g. visiting times, large out patients clinics etc.

Anan1

keithclancy wrote: »

Says so on their page:
http://guh.hse.ie/Patients_and_Visitors/Parking/

It could say it on the front wall and it'd still be nonsense - there are countless parking spaces within a short walk of UHG.

norrie rugger

Anan1 stop lad, you're embarrassing yourself now.

djimi

Anan1 wrote: »

It could say it on the front wall and it'd still be nonsense - there are countless parking spaces within a short walk of UHG.

Logic would suggest that they didnt just pull that from nowhere, and there must have been good reason (at some point at least) for them to warn people to leave to two hours to allow for parking.

keithclancy

norrie rugger wrote: »

Sorry, I'll tell people to get their children to go to A&E alone in future, as they are not allowed drive them.


As for adults attending, I could think of many reasons that you would need to attend that would allow you to drive. One example is something like meningitis or other disease. Another? Kidney Stones. Another? Lacerations
Want more, or is your straw man all used up?

Driving with Meningitis, Kidney Stones, Lacerations is extremely dangerous, call an Ambulance or get a Taxi.

Meningitis (Halluciations from high temperature no fit state to drive)
Kidney stones (extremely painful no fit state to drive) although to be honest most of them pass on their own anyway.
Lacerations (not even sure what you mean, but if you were in such a bad way that you need to go to A&E you shouldn't drive.

With kids I don't see the issue, its not you thats in A&E, its your kid, you can easily go out and renew your parking ticket.

Anan1

djimi wrote: »

Logic would suggest that they didnt just pull that from nowhere, and there must have been good reason (at some point at least) for them to warn people to leave to two hours to allow for parking.

Can you think of any possible reason? Because, short of every space in Galway city and most of the way to Moycullen being occupied, I honestly can't.

wotzgoingon

Fozzie Bear wrote: »

Hmmmm, is this you?

Galway Parking ****

No that's not me.

norrie rugger

keithclancy wrote: »

Driving with Meningitis, Kidney Stones, Lacerations is extremely dangerous, call an Ambulance or get a Taxi.

Meningitis (Halluciations from high temperature no fit state to drive)
Kidney stones (extremely painful no fit state to drive) although to be honest most of them pass on their own anyway.
Lacerations (not even sure what you mean, but if you were in such a bad way that you need to go to A&E you shouldn't drive.

With kids I don't see the issue, its not you thats in A&E, its your kid, you can easily go out and renew your parking ticket.

Meningitis suspicion, fine to drive
I've had Kidney Stones, very painful but not too bad to not drive *In my case*
Lacerations are cuts. If I need stitches I need to go to A&E, does not mean that I need an ambulance and no taxi driver would (or should be expected to) take someone into their car bleeding.

So leave the kids alone in the waiting room, or on a trolley alone? Kids need supervision at ALL times in a hospital and nurses have too much to be doing than play babysitter. Also you need to be present to give consent. Your child is drastically ill and you would leave them to top up the parking metre? AFAIK you are not allowed to Top Up btw. You have to vacate the spot that you are using.

Again, there are reasons why patients (or their guardian) would drive. Why are you strawmanning this?

djimi

Anan1 wrote: »

Can you think of any possible reason? Because, short of every space in Galway city and most of the way to Moycullen being occupied, I honestly can't.

I dont know the area, but it strikes me as a very strange warning to give unless there is very good reason to do so. Im fairly sure that I have never seen anywhere else advise leaving two hours just to get into the car park...

runawaybishop

Anan1 wrote: »

It could say it on the front wall and it'd still be nonsense - there are countless parking spaces within a short walk of UHG.

Anan1 wrote: »

Can you think of any possible reason? Because, short of every space in Galway city and most of the way to Moycullen being occupied, I honestly can't.

Any possible reason? Maybe someone going to hospital might not be up to a walk? That hospital is shocking for parking.

keithclancy

norrie rugger wrote: »

Meningitis suspicion, fine to drive
I've had Kidney Stones, very painful but not too bad to not drive *In my case*
Lacerations are cuts. If I need stitches I need to go to A&E, does not mean that I need an ambulance and no taxi driver would (or should be expected to) take someone into their car bleeding.

So leave the kids alone in the waiting room, or on a trolley alone? Kids need supervision at ALL times in a hospital and nurses have too much to be doing than play babysitter. Also you need to be present to give consent. Your child is drastically ill and you would leave them to top up the parking metre? AFAIK you are not allowed to Top Up btw. You have to vacate the spot that you are using.

Again, there are reasons why patients (or their guardian) would drive. Why are you strawmanning this?

All I said was that if you managed to drive into A&E on your own "over here" they would send you home and tell you to make an appointment with your GP.
If you drove in and actually needed immediate attention there would be question marks as to whether you were in a fit state to drive to get to the hospital or get home.

IMO if you have some sort of injury/illness that requires you to go to A&E its not possible for you to judge yourself if you are fit to drive or not.

If you are in a state where its an absolute emergency then get someone to drive you or get a taxi or as a last resort call an ambulance.

For kids i'm sure its possible your partner/friend/parents turns up at some stage so you can at least go to the toilet.

A&E is an important service, no point in clogging it up for someone that actually needs it, on the other side no point in endangering other road users trying to make things more convenient for yourself.

norrie rugger

It's called Accident and Emergency not Emergency and Emergency.
I have often driven to A&E after sports needing relatively urgent care.
Broken teeth, head cuts needing staples, broken fingers .... hell even a broken neck one (No I did NOT know that it was broken)

Over HERE, there are several reasons that would have you drive.

Kids, possible but not guaranteed. So again, is it fair to charge people that NEED to be at the hospital?
Would it really kill the hospital to have a validating system where patients are not charged (I mean the only impact to the hospital is that they can not top up the board members salaries)

Guy:Incognito

People don't always follow logic. Every day theres a queue to get in to the Coombe (2 actually as theres 2 entrances ) with 20 odd cars up the middle of the road. Yet within 60 seconds walk theres a street with pay and display that was never full anytime I've been there (our 2 year old was in for 8 weeks when he was born). Laziness kicks in and people wont walk , some just ditch their cars wherever they see fit.

Guy:Incognito

norrie rugger wrote: »

Over HERE, there are several reasons that would have you drive.

Kids, possible but not guaranteed. So again, is it fair to charge people that NEED to be at the hospital?
Would it really kill the hospital to have a validating system where patients are not charged (I mean the only impact to the hospital is that they can not top up the board members salaries)

The car parks will fill up regardless. What would you do if it was full? Go home?

norrie rugger

Read what I was saying, prepaying for a hospital parking space is ridiculous. If I have to go to A&E how the hell am I to know how long I will be. They are using pay and display as a way of scamming the people as they will have to OVER estimate their expected time.

There should be the usual system of taking your ticket and paying as you are leaving. If the person needed to be in A&E, as a patient or guardian then there can be a simple validation that charges a nominal/no fee

keithclancy

norrie rugger wrote: »

It's called Accident and Emergency not Emergency and Emergency.
I have often driven to A&E after sports needing relatively urgent care.
Broken teeth, head cuts needing staples, broken fingers .... hell even a broken neck one (No I did NOT know that it was broken)

Over HERE, there are several reasons that would have you drive.

Kids, possible but not guaranteed. So again, is it fair to charge people that NEED to be at the hospital?
Would it really kill the hospital to have a validating system where patients are not charged (I mean the only impact to the hospital is that they can not top up the board members salaries)

I never said you should not go, I merely said you should not drive yourself.

You're operating a machine that weighs over 1 ton, it does not make sense that you are in such a state that you need to go to accident and emergency but are ok to drive.

What if you became light headed through loss of blood,concussion or lost control due to pain ?

On the 'kids' thing I don't even get the point, I never mentioned driving others, just driving yourself.

norrie rugger

I could faint, have a stroke, heart attack or simply sneeze and lose control of a car in every day life. You make an assessment based on previous judgement (like every thing you do in life)

I went to the hospital on a broken neck at a weekend, no doctor and a neck pain so wanted to make sure. I was not allowed to leave hospital again, forget about if I had said to them, i need to move my car.

Charge away but if people have a genuine need to be in the hospital then parking fees should be waived

I have needed stitches to my head for injuries that were never going to make me lose anywhere near enough blood to pass out.

Anan1

djimi wrote: »

I dont know the area, but it strikes me as a very strange warning to give unless there is very good reason to do so. Im fairly sure that I have never seen anywhere else advise leaving two hours just to get into the car park...

Me neither. Galway city isn't the best for parking, but the hospital is pretty central. It's a bit like saying there are two hour queues for Vincents - you'd just park up the road. It just doesn't pass the common sense test.

runawaybishop wrote: »

Any possible reason? Maybe someone going to hospital might not be up to a walk? That hospital is shocking for parking.

If you drove up on your own and couldn't walk then maybe, but there's no mention of that in the warning.

keithclancy

norrie rugger wrote: »

I could faint, have a stroke, heart attack or simply sneeze and lose control of a car in every day life. You make an assessment based on previous judgement (like every thing you do in life)

I have needed stitches to my head for injuries that were never going to make me lose anywhere near enough blood to pass out.

You could also be drunk and think you are fit to drive.

Anan1

norrie rugger wrote: »

I could faint, have a stroke, heart attack or simply sneeze and lose control of a car in every day life. You make an assessment based on previous judgement (like every thing you do in life)

I have needed stitches to my head for injuries that were never going to make me lose anywhere near enough blood to pass out.

Actually it would be better all around for a doctor to make that assessment.

Cabaal

norrie rugger wrote: »

Meningitis suspicion, fine to drive

A chap I worked with was diagnosed with Meningitis,
He got up one morning was about to go down stairs and his legs just stopped working on the way down so he fell down the stairs, he had a head ache and so decided to go to the GP....he was later rushed to hospital from the gp's.

In all honesty, driving if you think you have Meningitis is not a smart move as it puts yourself and others in greater danger..

Get someone else to drive or get a taxi etc

norrie rugger

I'm just throwing out a random example. I am just trying to say that there are times where you need to go to A&E, in Ireland, and it would be perfectly acceptable to drive there, such as when your kid is sick or you need stitches etc.

Why is this so hard for people to accept and that it is OK to charge/clamp people that need to park their car there. I have seen people abandon their in a space and not get a ticket, as their kid is sick. I can completely understand that their priority, for then next several hours, may not be "Damn I forgot to pay the parking fee, I better leave my child and do that right now."

Caliden

Anan1 wrote: »

Me neither. Galway city isn't the best for parking, but the hospital is pretty central. It's a bit like saying there are two hour queues for Vincents - you'd just park up the road. It just doesn't pass the common sense test.If you drove up on your own and couldn't walk then maybe, but there's no mention of that in the warning.

Well if it's UCHG there's a ticketed carpark right beside A&E (get your ticket on the way in, park, pay on the way out) so OP chose to park down the road somewhere where it's pay & display.

If that's the case and they were going to A&E they should've put in 4+ hours because as everyone knows, A&E queues are long.

If you left your car unattended at the A&E entrance then you're a ****ing idiot

norrie rugger

Caliden wrote: »

Well if it's UCHG there's a ticketed carpark right beside A&E (get your ticket on the way in, park, pay on the way out) so OP chose to park down the road somewhere where it's pay & display.

If that's the case and they were going to A&E they should've put in 4+ hours because as everyone knows, A&E queues are long.

If you left your car unattended at the A&E entrance then you're a ****ing idiot

So it's a scam as you can not know how long you are going to be there. You out in 5 hours and are out in 1 tough?

PS I think that ALL carparks that do this are a scam

Odyssey 2005

FFS lad will ye stop fookon bikkerin. Op are you still there or did you cut the clamp off ? It's been hours now.

Anan1

norrie rugger wrote: »

So it's a scam as you can not know how long you are going to be there. You out in 5 hours and are out in 1 tough?

PS I think that ALL carparks that do this are a scam

So why aren't hospital car parks littered with clamped cars? Because people go out and buy more time if they need it, that's why.

wotzgoingon

I didn't need to cut it in the end. I got a doctor to ring them up and they came and took it off. Saved €75
I had the wheel nuts off and everything to take it off but no need in the end.

norrie rugger

fair play to them.

wotzgoingon

norrie rugger wrote: »

fair play to them.

Yes it's good when you know a few doctors. I was all set to cut it off and all.

O.A.P

wotzgoingon wrote: »

I didn't need to cut it in the end. I got a doctor to ring them up and they came and took it off. Saved €75
I had the wheel nuts off and everything to take it off but no need in the end.

Something similar happened in Galway a few years ago outside a G.Ps clinic in woodquay. The doctor had told a man to bring his son to the hospital immediately (2 miles or less from Woodquay).
His car was clamped when he got out of the doctors and he did not have the 80 euro fee . They refused to remove it without payment but the guards made them.
That firm lost the contract for clamping in Galway shortly after.

I have no source for the above other than word of mouth.

wotzgoingon

O.A.P wrote: »

Something similar happened in Galway a few years ago outside a G.Ps clinic in woodquay. The doctor had told a man to bring his son to the hospital immediately (2 miles or less from Woodquay).
His car was clamped when he got out of the doctors and he did not have the 80 euro fee . They refused to remove it without payment but the guards made them.
That firm lost the contract for clamping in Galway shortly after.

I have no source for the above other than word of mouth.

I remeber back in 2002/2003 I was working in the AIB bank in Newcastle in Galway(It was getting done up at the time) The clampers were clamping everybody. Where the workers parked you were allowed to park at the time but if you had a least on wheel on footpath you would get clamped. Word used to spread around site the clampers were out. Everybody would be running out to see if they were.