Never been clamped: Am I unique?

Snickers Man

Reading through a thread on the late and unlamented phenomenon of the "lock hard" men in Dublin which naturally meandered on to their successors, the clampers.

I have lived in Dublin (pretty much in the inner city) since before clamping became a thing and I have to admit I have never been clamped. I have been hit for parking tickets back in the day but I've never had a big yellow immobiliser stuck to my car's wheel.

How rare is that?

Just curious

miamee

Is that because you live in the city and therefore have a parking permit or a private parking space and can walk most places you need to go in the city centre?

I was clamped once many years ago when living in the suburbs, came to town for a Sunday afternoon, never checked the parking hours as I knew them already (I thought) but Sundays were no longer free all day...and I was clamped for not paying between 2pm-6pm. Raging.

ongarboy

why is that unusual OP?

If you pay attention and follow the parking regulations, then it wouldn't be a mystery why you were never clamped. If you consistently park illegally, then yes it would be strange.

Snickers Man

ongarboy wrote: »

why is that unusual OP?

If you pay attention and follow the parking regulations, then it wouldn't be a mystery why you were never clamped. If you consistently park illegally, then yes it would be strange.

Blessed are the eternally righteous for they can gloat over the miscreants who fall foul of the whims of the regulators no matter how unfortunate the circumstance

I suspect that what irritates the hell out of people is when they get caught after overstaying for a little more than they bargained for, usually for reasons beyond their control. A meeting goes on longer than expected, queues at the cash register are more slow moving than usual, some unforeseen issue delays their return to their car. You know: the usual hard luck stories.

Admittedly, many of these can be rectified by the wonderful advent of Parkzone which allows you to pay with your phone over SMS and which alerts you when your time is about to expire. It's easy just to stick on a few minutes.

But even that can catch you out. I know of one person who absent mindedly forgot to update her details on Parkzone when she acquired a new car and when she dutifully paid the full amount for her parking stay, she returned to find a clamp because the reg on the new car was not the one she had paid for!
Cue the violins.

miamee wrote: »

Is that because you live in the city and therefore have a parking permit or a private parking space and can walk most places you need to go in the city centre?

It's true: I have off street parking but when I do drive anywhere, inner city or not, there is usually a parking fee to be paid. I was just wondering whether avoiding the clampers is something I should feel blessed for.

ongarboy

I'm not being self righteous. I've been clamped and or ticketed a number of times myself due to carelessness or unexpected delays. You just didn't give enough context in your OP as to why you were never clamped. If you were always diligent and abiding no matter how long you lived here, that would be a reason why you were never clamped. If you always flouted the parking laws, then yes , that would be strange that you never once have been clamped. Your post didn't say either way so how can anyone here speculate and answer your question otherwise?

FreudianSlippers

I pay for my parking and don't leave my car parked like some idiot, so I've never been clamped. Doesn't seem too difficult IMHO.

Shanotheslayer

FreudianSlippers wrote: »

I pay for my parking and don't leave my car parked like some idiot, so I've never been clamped. Doesn't seem too difficult IMHO.

Doesn't seem too difficult to post without coming across as condescending but you managed that perfectly well.

FreudianSlippers

Shanotheslayer wrote: »

Doesn't seem too difficult to post without coming across as condescending but you managed that perfectly well.

I take it we've never crossed paths on Boards before - guess not running in the same circles... but that's kind of my bag.

I'm sorry, but I am superior to people who get clamped as I have never been clamped - therefore condescension not only justified but necessary.

There is absolutely zero reason to get clamped - park legally and it won't happen.

iamwhoiam

FreudianSlippers wrote: »

I pay for my parking and don't leave my car parked like some idiot, so I've never been clamped. Doesn't seem too difficult IMHO.

Am driving many many years and never been clamped .I put that down to parking where its allowed and paying what is asked .

FreudianSlippers

iamwhoiam wrote: »

Am driving many many years and never been clamped .I put that down to parking where its allowed and paying what is asked .

Be careful - apparently is "condescending" to admit to lawfully parking!

I've never had my electricity cut off either... #humblebrag

tricky D

Knock off the childish sniping.

Tia.

Marcusm

FreudianSlippers wrote: »

I take it we've never crossed paths on Boards before - guess not running in the same circles... but that's kind of my bag.

I'm sorry, but I am superior to people who get clamped as I have never been clamped - therefore condescension not only justified but necessary.

There is absolutely zero reason to get clamped - park legally and it won't happen.

I haven’t been clamped either and I do expect that most people who get clamped would not if they exercised caution. However, it is possible to be unexpectedly delayed and clamped as a result. My greater concerns are (1) parking in disabled spaces (2) similar in clear ways (3) at junctions. These cannot be enforced acceptably via clamping although they are treated as such by DCC. Personally, confiscation seems a better penalty.

Snickers Man

Marcusm wrote: »

My greater concerns are (1) parking in disabled spaces (2) similar in clear ways (3) at junctions. These cannot be enforced acceptably via clamping although they are treated as such by DCC. Personally, confiscation seems a better penalty.

Quite agree. No sympathy for any of that nonsense.

arybvtcw0eolkf

I was clamped once when I got a call in work that my son was being taken from the doctors surgery to hospital and was under going a lumber puncture for what the GP and hospital suspected was meningitis.

I knew where I was parking required a ticket but I simply hadn't the time to go get one and had greater things on my mind.

I appealed the clamping to DCC with evidence of the hospital visit and was reimbursed.

I worked on Aston Quay for seven years and always warned people parking opposite us was illegal and they'd be clamped. In that time only a tiny few drove off to look for safe parking, the rest were chancers and got clamped.

I've no problem with DCC parking (in Dublin obviously) but I think private clampers are scumbags, the exception being for the kunts who use disabled parking bays.

Stark

Leon Strong Belt wrote: »

I've no problem with DCC parking (in Dublin obviously) but I think private clampers are scumbags, the exception being for the kunts who use disabled parking bays.

+1

RasTa

Leon Strong Belt wrote: »

I've no problem with DCC parking (in Dublin obviously) but I think private clampers are scumbags, the exception being for the kunts who use disabled parking bays.

What about when they do this?

Not sure exactly where they expected them to display it either, the poor tourists.

punisher5112

On the motor bike one it's a space lost so revenue is down.

They could have easily parked off to one side or off the street.

In Ireland in general it seems if you park out of bays and don't block footpaths or other services they tend to leave bikers alone.

FreudianSlippers

Marcusm wrote: »

I haven’t been clamped either and I do expect that most people who get clamped would not if they exercised caution. However, it is possible to be unexpectedly delayed and clamped as a result. My greater concerns are (1) parking in disabled spaces (2) similar in clear ways (3) at junctions. These cannot be enforced acceptably via clamping although they are treated as such by DCC. Personally, confiscation seems a better penalty.

Dublin City definitely has tow trucks driving around to deal with that.

punisher5112

FreudianSlippers wrote: »

Dublin City definitely has tow trucks driving around to deal with that.

They have a couple of left hand drive American trucks.