Parking in a bus stop

shovel

Hi all.
It turns out I was parked on a bus stop last night (I didn't realize).
Traffic corp car stops in front of me and guard gets out and takes a photo (I think) of my car and the car behind me
I rolled down the passenger window to ask what was going on .
As he's passing he says "you're parked in a bus stop" and gets back into the squad car.
So did I get a warning or am I looking at a fine or what?.
I can't seem to find the penalty online.

Whocare

I say fine

callaway92

shovel wrote: »

Hi all.
It turns out I was parked on a bus stop last night (I didn't realize).
Traffic corp car stops in front of me and guard gets out and takes a photo (I think) of my car and the car behind me
I rolled down the passenger window to ask what was going on .
As he's passing he says "you're parked in a bus stop" and gets back into the squad car.
So did I get a warning or am I looking at a fine or what?.
I can't seem to find the penalty online.

Fine in the post.

Very similar scenario happened me when parked in a taxi rank not too long ago.

Thought I got away with it but the fine came then a couple of weeks later.

€40

shovel

Thanks for the prompt responses. I'd be happy enough with just a fine.
My young lad went into a chip shop to get a portion of Curry.
It looks like it will be the dearest portion ever!!

Miscreant

callaway92 wrote: »

Fine in the post.

Very similar scenario happened me when parked in a taxi rank not too long ago.

Thought I got away with it but the fine came then a couple of weeks later.

€40

Wonderful example of policing then if you were not even told to expect a fine. It is not like you blew past a speed camera at 20 above the posted limit or anything. I thought if a member of AGS caught you doing something you were not supposed to, that they at least had to have an interaction with you about it..... or is this another case of "Fish in a Barrel" policing?

punisher5112

Wow, never see them doing anyone and people that park, pull in etc into bus stops makes my job so much harder and just shows how little respect people have for others especially when they have special needs and are older or in a wheelchair, even buggies....

Obviously op you didn't intend to do this but most likely fine will be on the way.

Del2005

Miscreant wrote: »

Wonderful example of policing then if you were not even told to expect a fine. It is not like you blew past a speed camera at 20 above the posted limit or anything. I thought if a member of AGS caught you doing something you were not supposed to, that they at least had to have an interaction with you about it..... or is this another case of "Fish in a Barrel" policing?

Plenty of people have been pulled by the Gardai and told to drive on only for a fine to arrive a few weeks later, it's one of the least professional aspects of their culture along with not introducing themselves when they stop you.

Marcusm

Miscreant wrote: »

Wonderful example of policing then if you were not even told to expect a fine. It is not like you blew past a speed camera at 20 above the posted limit or anything. I thought if a member of AGS caught you doing something you were not supposed to, that they at least had to have an interaction with you about it..... or is this another case of "Fish in a Barrel" policing?

Seriously? You’re criticising an attempt to enforce the law or punish miscreants? Too often they simply drive by and do nothing.

yrreg0850

If a fine comes ,I would contact the Garda press office and ask them if this is normal policy.

That garda may have been on his way home to tea and, decided to justify his mileage without losing time.

kirving

Marcusm wrote: »

Seriously? You’re criticising an attempt to enforce the law or punish miscreants? Too often they simply drive by and do nothing.

Strawman alert.

The criticism is very clearly about how the Gard doesn't even have the professional courtesy to discuss the matter, and is only interested in issuing the fine.

All too often people post on boards.ie after dealing with the Gardai, having absolutely no idea where they stand due to intentional poor communication on the Gards part.

I understand it - they don't want to get into an argument about it. Nevertheless, it's completely unprofessional and contributes to negative opinions people may have of the Gardai. If I treated people like that in work I'd be sacked in a week.

Sir Galahad

yrreg0850 wrote: »

If a fine comes ,I would contact the Garda press office and ask them if this is normal policy.

That garda may have been on his way home to tea and, decided to justify his mileage without losing time.

Another "Armchair Lawyers thoughts". For goodness sake, the OP was illegally parked. He will get a ticket which he seems ok with and you decide to make the Traffic Cop the bad guy ? :rolleyes:

Miscreant

Marcusm wrote: »

Seriously? You’re criticising an attempt to enforce the law or punish miscreants? Too often they simply drive by and do nothing.

Wow....

I am in no way criticising this attempt to enforce the law in my post. The interaction, as cited by the OP, in my opinion (FWIW) would be unfair if they were to receive a fine in the post. The Garda made no real attempt to engage with the OP to get them to change their behaviour other than to take a picture. If the OP had not queried what was going on then it sounds like the Garda would have driven away without a word said. This situation should not happen and there should have been a verbal interaction between them (over and above the "you're parked at a bus stop") to give the OP a chance to correct their behaviour and move their vehicle or for the Garda to issue a fine there and then.

I am not a lawyer, solicitor, judge, Garda or other law enforcement/legal professional so my opinion should be taken with a pinch of salt on this. However, as someone who works in a professional environment on a daily basis, I expect to be treated with professionalism in my dealings with "officialdom" and not have an interaction such as the one the OP has described.

In any case @OP - I hope you do not receive a fine in the post as I think it would be unfair but I fear you may have no comeback in this case if you do.

Marcusm

Kevin Irving wrote: »

Strawman alert.

The criticism is very clearly about how the Gard doesn't even have the professional courtesy to discuss the matter, and is only interested in issuing the fine.

All too often people post on boards.ie after dealing with the Gardai, having absolutely no idea where they stand due to intentional poor communication on the Gards part.

I understand it - they don't want to get into an argument about it. Nevertheless, it's completely unprofessional and contributes to negative opinions people may have of the Gardai. If I treated people like that in work I'd be sacked in a week.

Hardly a straw man. If the photo was taken I would assume it was for the purpose of sending a fine. Personally if I was the guts, I would have checked the discs and given the driver an earful (and no, failing to spot that it was a bus stop is not an excuse but rather an admission of driving without due care and attention). However, the particular guard did not and I find it difficult to see how there can be any cribbing.

Marcusm

Miscreant wrote: »

Wow....

I am in no way criticising this attempt to enforce the law in my post. The interaction, as cited by the OP, in my opinion (FWIW) would be unfair if they were to receive a fine in the post. The Garda made no real attempt to engage with the OP to get them to change their behaviour other than to take a picture. If the OP had not queried what was going on then it sounds like the Garda would have driven away without a word said. This situation should not happen and there should have been a verbal interaction between them (over and above the "you're parked at a bus stop") to give the OP a chance to correct their behaviour and move their vehicle or for the Garda to issue a fine there and then.

I am not a lawyer, solicitor, judge, Garda or other law enforcement/legal professional so my opinion should be taken with a pinch of salt on this. However, as someone who works in a professional environment on a daily basis, I expect to be treated with professionalism in my dealings with "officialdom" and not have an interaction such as the one the OP has described.

In any case @OP - I hope you do not receive a fine in the post as I think it would be unfair but I fear you may have no comeback in this case if you do.

The person who parked in a bus stop without realising it is hardly worth dealing with on that basis, however. Either they have done so deliberately and will only react to a fine appropriately collected or they did not take sufficient care to see where they are.

Attached is a photo I took this morning at 7.05am. This is what I encounter on a daily basis. It is a 4 way junction and one of them is a one way street (with a van exiting the wrong way). The artic is not exiting the junction, it is parked across a disabled bay and right out into the street.

I cannot get the local gardai to deal with this in any sensible way.

This is why I applaud any Garda willing to make the effort to issue a fine!

Seth Brundle

Miscreant wrote: »

or is this another case of "Fish in a Barrel" policing?

How on earth could it be "fish in a barrel policing" when the OP admits to a mistake and the garda takes action immediately?
The garda told the OP about the offence so what's the issue? That the garda didn't go into detail about the possible punishment? Maybe it means that the garda can choose from a potential number of offences when they review the image.
Anyhow, I'm sick of this entitled attitude expressed by a growing number of drivers who believe that they can drive and park with no consideration for anyone but their own selfish selves! It's about time that AGS became firm with them!

colm_mcm

What’s the country coming to when you can’t park your car in a bus stop to go get some curry?
Dey should be going after the real criminals. The bankers et al.

bucketybuck

Kevin Irving wrote: »

The criticism is very clearly about how the Gard doesn't even have the professional courtesy to discuss the matter, and is only interested in issuing the fine.

Discuss the matter? To what end?

He parked in a bus stop, he was caught and will get a fine, what discussion is needed? The only thing that could come from a discussion would be the guilty party whinging or inventing excuses and who does that serve?

Markcheese

colm_mcm wrote: »

What’s the country coming to when you can’t park your car in a bus stop to go get some curry?
Dey should be going after the real criminals. The bankers et al.

And the people speeding ,and lane changing,except when I do it ...

I assume it's quicker and easier to stop ,take a picture and head on .. than get into a debate or argument ..

RobbieMD

Marcusm wrote: »

Hardly a straw man. If the photo was taken I would assume it was for the purpose of sending a fine. Personally if I was the guts, I would have checked the discs and given the driver an earful (and no, failing to spot that it was a bus stop is not an excuse but rather an admission of driving without due care and attention). However, the particular guard did not and I find it difficult to see how there can be any cribbing.

I imagine he was using one of the new Active Mobility phones issued to some Gardaí. They can take a photo of a reg plate and get all details direct to the phone.

donvito99

It's not unprofessional on their part. There's no obligation to 'discuss' or debate with or comfort a driver.

BorneTobyWilde

I don't consider a car parked if a person is in it ready to drive off. Not as if a bus was trying to park and car was blocking him. It's just typical Ireland, Garda should have had some manners and told him to move on.

KevRossi

Reading some of the responses above, it's no wonder the country is such a clusterfcuk for driving.

Pay the fine if it arrives and learn from your mistakes.

If you believe an exception should be made for you then dial 1850 715 815, there's an overpaid public service contractor at the end of the line who specialises in getting people out of situations like this, and in doing so makes things worse.

Effects

Miscreant wrote: »

I thought if a member of AGS caught you doing something you were not supposed to, that they at least had to have an interaction with you about it?

They had an interaction about it though.

Inconsiderate people park at bus stops all the time. Making it harder for every other road user. Garda probably has better things to be spending time on than arguing with a driver.

yrreg0850 wrote: »

If a fine comes ,I would contact the Garda press office and ask them if this is normal policy.

"Hi, Garda Press Office? I realise this is absolutely nothing to do with your department, but do you believe it's normal policy to receive a fine for breaking traffic laws?"

BorneTobyWilde wrote: »

I don't consider a car parked if a person is in it ready to drive off.

I see it all the time outside my local supermarket. Car parked up with the driver in it, while someone has nipped into Tesco. Forces cyclists out of the cycle lane, into traffic, and busses to pull out of the bus lane, into the regular lane. All because people are too lazy to walk 100m.

elperello

KevRossi wrote: »

Reading some of the responses above, it's no wonder the country is such a clusterfcuk for driving.

Pay the fine if it arrives and learn from your mistakes.

If you believe an exception should be made for you then dial 1850 715 815, there's an overpaid public service contractor at the end of the line who specialises in getting people out of situations like this, and in doing so makes things worse.

I don't see Liveline getting involved in a case like this and find it hard to imagine how any radio programme would.

Traumadoc

Kevin Irving wrote: »

Strawman alert.

The criticism is very clearly about how the Gard doesn't even have the professional courtesy to discuss the matter, and is only interested in issuing the fine.

All too often people post on boards.ie after dealing with the Gardai, having absolutely no idea where they stand due to intentional poor communication on the Gards part.

I understand it - they don't want to get into an argument about it. Nevertheless, it's completely unprofessional and contributes to negative opinions people may have of the Gardai. If I treated people like that in work I'd be sacked in a week.

You understand it, but it is unprofessional?
A lot of people have negative opinions about guards because they allow knackers/scobies park where ever they like. Guards cannot win.

Effects

elperello wrote: »

I don't see Liveline getting involved in a case like this and find it hard to imagine how any radio programme would.

The Niall Boylan Show would probably love it.

elperello

Effects wrote: »

The Niall Boylan Show would probably love it.

I forgot about him.
Not that I ever listened to his show.
I saw him on TV a few times though.

It'd want to because very slow news day for an open and shut case like this one.

Seth Brundle

BorneTobyWilde wrote: »

I don't consider a car parked if a person is in it ready to drive off.

It's irrelevant what you think it is. The legislation makes it clear!

BorneTobyWilde wrote: »

Not as if a bus was trying to park and car was blocking him. It's just typical Ireland,

Typical Ireland thinks it's ok to park in bus lanes or cycle paths. It's fine to park in disabled spots if they're empty also. Traffic laws don't apply if you're going to Mass. Etc. :rolleyes:

BorneTobyWilde wrote: »

Garda should have had some manners and told him to move on.

The garda did their job and not got into a debate with a member of the public for a traffic violation. How were they not mannerly?

kirving

bucketybuck wrote: »

Discuss the matter? To what end?

He parked in a bus stop, he was caught and will get a fine, what discussion is needed? The only thing that could come from a discussion would be the guilty party whinging or inventing excuses and who does that serve?

No discussion is needed per se, but if you were to pick up your car for a mechanic and got a big bill, wouldn't you think it to be a professional courtesy for the mechanic to explain why. Or should he just hand you the bill and refuse to discuss?

Maybe the OP's car had broken down, maybe they were sick, maybe it was 2am with no busses running. All maybe's I know, but the Gard didn't bother to even ask.

We could just police the entire country via AI and algorithms if we don't see the point in a relatable police force.

Traumadoc wrote: »

You understand it, but it is unprofessional?
A lot of people have negative opinions about guards because they allow knackers/scobies park where ever they like. Guards cannot win.

Something can be understandable behaviour but also unprofessional at the same time, what's so odd about that? People getting angry at work would be an example.

They won't win if they treat ordinary members of the public with as much disdain as they have the OP. If you're going to be handing out fines, then have the decency to say why and for how much.

Guy:Incognito

BorneTobyWilde wrote: »

I don't consider a car parked if a person is in it ready to drive off. .

And this here is the problem. We have cities full of dickheads "stopped" all over the place oblivious or not giving a **** about any hassle they are causing to anyone else.

Effects

Kevin Irving wrote: »

If you were to pick up your car for a mechanic and got a big bill, wouldn't you think it to be a professional courtesy for the mechanic to explain why.

If I knew a service cost €150 before I dropped my car into the mechanic, and then when I picked the car up from the mechanic he handed me a bill for €150, I wouldn't bother trying to debate it or haggle him down.