Dublin clamping is back

Victor

I live on a side road that the clampers use for dumping cars that they have towed from bus lanes, etc. Usually there might be 1-2 cars per day, but I've seen 4 today.

So, be careful out there and obey the rules.

Marcusm

They’ve been back clamping in DCC for a month or more.

Atlantic Dawn

What would happen if your car was damaged or destroyed at the new location they decided to move it to? I thought they always had to bring them to the Garda storage unit?

Victor

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

I thought they always had to bring them to the Garda storage unit?

No, they use a private pound. It used to be in Harold's Cross, now it's in Dolphin's Barn.

The Garda pound is in Santry.

Patrick2010

Where in Dolphins barn?

Rodney Bathgate

Clamp on!

Victor

Patrick2010 wrote: »

Where in Dolphins barn?

I think the industrial estate on Herberton Road.

double jobbing

Saw a car clamped for being within 5 metres of a junction on a street that's one of the few islands of free parking within walking distance of town.

Unbelievably sneaky- there's dbl yellows on the other side of the street at the same spot, but not where this person parked.

It might be the law but it's a forgotten law by most people, I think everyone generally assumes anywhere without yellow lines and that doesn't obstruct a view is fair game.

Snakes.

Victor

double jobbing wrote: »

Saw a car clamped for being within 5 metres of a junction

double jobbing wrote: »

doesn't obstruct a view is fair game.

You might try to reconcile these two bits.

Marcusm

double jobbing wrote: »

Saw a car clamped for being within 5 metres of a junction on a street that's one of the few islands of free parking within walking distance of town.

Unbelievably sneaky- there's dbl yellows on the other side of the street at the same spot, but not where this person parked.

It might be the law but it's a forgotten law by most people, I think everyone generally assumes anywhere without yellow lines and that doesn't obstruct a view is fair game.

Snakes.

Parking that close to a junction irrespective of the yellow lines is one of my pet hates. It’s a safety issue for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers alike, ie everybody. The only reason people do it is because they are self-absorbed, self-centred idiots who can’t exercise an iota of judgement. Exactly the sort of people you want in control of 2 tons of metal moving at speed.

double jobbing

Victor wrote: »

You might try to reconcile these two bits.

The car was parked to the left of the turn onto a one way street, meaning, while you should obviously be looking both ways when turning out, your most important line of site is to the oncoming traffic on the right.

The car was essentially causing zero obstruction. It was deliberate enforcement of a petty rule irrelevant in the situation that the person parking was no doubt unaware of.

double jobbing

Marcusm wrote: »

It’s a safety issue for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers alike, ie everybody. .

How?

No view was being blocked. They weren't slap bang on the junction. It's a commission happy clamper enforcing a barely known rule- if DCC cared about safety rather than noticing a sneaky way to rob a few quid off someone who refuses to use their rip off pay parking they would paint yellow lines on it.

Let me guess. You strongly support the new 30kph proposals too.

Victor

double jobbing wrote: »

It's a commission happy clamper

They don't get a commission.

double jobbing

Victor wrote: »

They don't get a commission.

And I'm sure they get a bollicking if they don't hit x clamps per week either. If anything in the current climate clamping/ charges for street parking should be suspended bar where it's causing an obstruction.

KaneToad

double jobbing wrote: »

And I'm sure they get a bollicking if they don't hit x clamps per week either. If anything in the current climate clamping/ charges for street parking should be suspended bar where it's causing an obstruction.

What has the current climate (I presume you mean Covid 19) got to do with illegal parking?

Marcusm

double jobbing wrote: »

How?

No view was being blocked. They weren't slap bang on the junction. It's a commission happy clamper enforcing a barely known rule- if DCC cared about safety rather than noticing a sneaky way to rob a few quid off someone who refuses to use their rip off pay parking they would paint yellow lines on it.

Let me guess. You strongly support the new 30kph proposals too.

Not a fan of 30kph, personally so fewer of the admonition s.

Even on a one way street, you will find cyclists, kids walking in street (especially at the moment), lots of other potential hazards. Larger vehicles may find it harder to traverse the junction with, say, a trailer when it is constrained by the illegally parked cars. Lots of different potential reasons which self-centred people are too thick or too self-centred to consider. It’s one of those reasons why we have rules and laws.

Marcusm

double jobbing wrote: »

And I'm sure they get a bollicking if they don't hit x clamps per week either. If anything in the current climate clamping/ charges for street parking should be suspended bar where it's causing an obstruction.

DCC pay a much higher price per clamp than the penalty for the clamp. They are not incentivised to insist on higher targets. Personally, a dangerously parked car should be lifted rather than immobilised. There are a fair few newer tow vehicles around (easier to notice as they are right hand drive). Don’t act like a dick and don’t get penalised!

zg3409

Victor wrote: »

I think the industrial estate on Herberton Road.

Passed it yesterday. Think its here:
32 Herberton Rd
https://maps.app.goo.gl/WHpiLy81T2P7d3g58

Signs now say pound or similar.
Very badly marked, only noticed as I was stuck in traffic.

I believe the clampers tow out of bus lanes and clearways but then dump nearby and clamp car rather than bringing to pound. They take photos of vehicle to prove they did not damage it. I expect pound is only used in exceptional case like repeat cutting of lock offenders.

They were clamping nurses working late during covit.

double jobbing

KaneToad wrote: »

What has the current climate (I presume you mean Covid 19) got to do with illegal parking?

Encourage shoppers back into town?

Dissuade people from packing on to public transport?

I'm embarrassed to even have to spell it out.

Del2005

double jobbing wrote: »

Encourage shoppers back into town?

Dissuade people from packing on to public transport?

I'm embarrassed to even have to spell it out.

They are doing the best to keep cars out of our cities not trying to encourage them back in. Have you missed all the car parking spaces that have been removed and the cycle lane down the quays of Dublin, they definitely aren't designed to encourage cars.

markpb

double jobbing wrote: »

Encourage shoppers back into town?

Dissuade people from packing on to public transport?

I'm embarrassed to even have to spell it out.

Let’s take your embarrassment up a notch, shall we?

Car is parked on a footpath - people can’t socially distance when walking past. Oh oh, that sounds like a bad thing.

Car is parked on a cycle lane - cycling becomes less attractive and those people either stop coming into town or change to busy public transport (bad in the current climate) or busy roads (bad always). None of those are good outcomes right now.

Car is parked dangerously at a junction - a pedestrian is hit by another driver who couldn’t see them. They are brought to ICU taking up a bed that might be needed by a Covid-19 patient. I think we can all agree that now isn’t the time to be putting pressure on hospitals?

Car is parked legally but the driver overstays their parking ticket - other people find it hard to get parking in the city centre and decide to go to Dundrum next time.

So which offences do you think should be ignored/encouraged by the council to entice people to shop in the city centre?

Atlantic Dawn

markpb wrote: »

Let’s take your embarrassment up a notch, shall we?

Car is parked on a footpath - people can’t socially distance when walking past. Oh oh, that sounds like a bad thing.

Car is parked on a cycle lane - cycling becomes less attractive and those people either stop coming into town or change to busy public transport (bad in the current climate) or busy roads (bad always). None of those are good outcomes right now.

Car is parked dangerously at a junction - a pedestrian is hit by another driver who couldn’t see them. They are brought to ICU taking up a bed that might be needed by a Covid-19 patient. I think we can all agree that now isn’t the time to be putting pressure on hospitals?

Car is parked legally but the driver overstays their parking ticket - other people find it hard to get parking in the city centre and decide to go to Dundrum next time.

So which offences do you think should be ignored/encouraged by the council to entice people to shop in the city centre?

And then you observe the clampers coming out and the first thing they do is look at the tax disc on the car to decide if they will clamp it or not, something majorly wrong with that, especially in the current climate.

Victor

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

And then you observe the clampers coming out and the first thing they do is look at the tax disc on the car to decide if they will clamp it or not, something majorly wrong with that, especially in the current climate.

Traffic wardens will check tax, as it is part of their job. I've never seen clampers doing it.

markpb

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

And then you observe the clampers coming out and the first thing they do is look at the tax disc on the car to decide if they will clamp it or not, something majorly wrong with that, especially in the current climate.

Plenty of people get clamped with in-date tax. The location of the wheels determine if you get clamped, not a piece of paper in your windscreen.

And what does an emissions tax have to do with ‘the current climate’ anyway? Did you know there is mounting evidence that cities with higher air pollution seem to have more Covid-19 cases?

boombang

Marcusm wrote: »

DCC pay a much higher price per clamp than the penalty for the clamp. They are not incentivised to insist on higher targets. Personally, a dangerously parked car should be lifted rather than immobilised. There are a fair few newer tow vehicles around (easier to notice as they are right hand drive). Don’t act like a dick and don’t get penalised!

DCC lose money on each car they clamp at €80 a go? They need to sort out their operation if that's true.

boombang

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

And then you observe the clampers coming out and the first thing they do is look at the tax disc on the car to decide if they will clamp it or not, something majorly wrong with that, especially in the current climate.

Are you sure the clampers aren't just checking for a resident's parking permit?

Irishphotodesk

Victor wrote: »

Traffic wardens will check tax, as it is part of their job. I've never seen clampers doing it.

I can confirm that they do check a tax disk, I watched clampers years ago walk up the street checking vehicles for tickets, when they came to my vehicle the guy walked to the road side of the vehicle and looked at my tax and insurance ... Then went back to the footpath and checked cars for tickets.

I sent a letter to DCC to complain and ask why my vehicle was picked out and if the clampers were permitted to check tax and received a letter saying they are entitled to check tax disk, they ignored my question asking why my vehicle was the only one singled out by clampers for this treatment.

I had a valid ticket and have in the past been clamped with a valid ticket (DCC offered me half the money back on appeal - which is a bit of a joke)

Will try to find the letter mentioned above, I came across it recently during bit of a tidy up.

Marcusm

boombang wrote: »

DCC lose money on each car they clamp at €80 a go? They need to sort out their operation if that's true.

Service goes out to tender for lowest price. IIRC average cost of clamping was €120 or something like that which was cited when the council sought permission to increase the clamp fee.

ED E

Victor wrote: »

Traffic wardens will check tax, as it is part of their job. I've never seen clampers doing it.

DSPS are acting as traffic wardens! They just pick and mix what they want to be bothered with.

Marcusm

Irishphotodesk wrote: »

I can confirm that they do check a tax disk, I watched clampers years ago walk up the street checking vehicles for tickets, when they came to my vehicle the guy walked to the road side of the vehicle and looked at my tax and insurance ... Then went back to the footpath and checked cars for tickets.

I sent a letter to DCC to complain and ask why my vehicle was picked out and if the clampers were permitted to check tax and received a letter saying they are entitled to check tax disk, they ignored my question asking why my vehicle was the only one singled out by clampers for this treatment.

I had a valid ticket and have in the past been clamped with a valid ticket (DCC offered me half the money back on appeal - which is a bit of a joke)

Will try to find the letter mentioned above, I came across it recently during bit of a tidy up.

If your motor tax is out by more than 2 months they are empowered to immobilise it and tow it. Is there a valid reason why they should not check?

Ger Roe

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

What would happen if your car was damaged or destroyed at the new location they decided to move it to? I thought they always had to bring them to the Garda storage unit?

I saw a funny incident to do with moving parked cars, in Bray. It was the day of the Airshow and I saw a driver pull into a side street, before the road closure enforcements and then ask a passing Garda if it was OK to park there. There didn't seem to be a problem and the Garda said it was OK. The driver locked up his car and headed to the seafeont for the show.

An hour later, the road was closed off and used as a temporary terminus for buses, since the usual location at the DART station was too busy with people milling about, to be used safely. The parked car was now in a different scenario and was causing an obstruction for the buses. A tow truck arrived to take it away and the embarrassed Garda had to explain that it was his fault it was left there.

They found a suitable spot further down the same street and moved the car to there. Using the tow truck trolley jig they slid it under the car and pulled it from its obstructive space, before leaving it neatly at the far kerbside and away from the bus traffic. I often wondered how the driver reacted when he got back and found his car sitting a considerable distance away from where he left it, with no obvious sign of being opened and driven there.

Irishphotodesk

Marcusm wrote: »

If your motor tax is out by more than 2 months they are empowered to immobilise it and tow it. Is there a valid reason why they should not check?

Tax was up to date, ticket was on the dash, yet my vehicle was the only one that the clamper physically walked out from the footpath to the other side of the vehicle to check the disks, I just happen to be on the street and observed the clamper as he walked up the street.

In hindsight I should have asked him why he took a special interest in my car ( it’s a Toyota Corolla...hardly worth a couple of hundred at this stage and at the time of this event, probably worth about €2k )

AndrewJRenko

Del2005 wrote: »

They are doing the best to keep cars out of our cities not trying to encourage them back in. Have you missed all the car parking spaces that have been removed and the cycle lane down the quays of Dublin, they definitely aren't designed to encourage cars.

double jobbing wrote: »

Encourage shoppers back into town?

Dissuade people from packing on to public transport?

I'm embarrassed to even have to spell it out.

Why would people be encouraged to spend their time and money in a glorified car park, stinking of toxic fumes, with entitled drivers blocking footpaths preventing social distancing?

zg3409 wrote: »

They were clamping nurses working late during covit.

Or to be more clear, they were clamping nurses who had parked illegally during Covid.

double jobbing wrote: »

And I'm sure they get a bollicking if they don't hit x clamps per week either. If anything in the current climate clamping/ charges for street parking should be suspended bar where it's causing an obstruction.

How sure are you? Have you looked at the tender document from DCC or any of their operating procedures?

Marcusm

Irishphotodesk wrote: »

Tax was up to date, ticket was on the dash, yet my vehicle was the only one that the clamper physically walked out from the footpath to the other side of the vehicle to check the disks, I just happen to be on the street and observed the clamper as he walked up the street.

In hindsight I should have asked him why he took a special interest in my car ( it’s a Toyota Corolla...hardly worth a couple of hundred at this stage and at the time of this event, probably worth about €2k )

It might soundstupid but maybe he was wondering what the tax rate was on the car. I’ve done that from time to time.

double jobbing

markpb wrote: »

Let’s take your embarrassment up a notch, shall we?

Car is parked on a footpath - people can’t socially distance when walking past. Oh oh, that sounds like a bad thing.

Car is parked on a cycle lane - cycling becomes less attractive and those people either stop coming into town or change to busy public transport (bad in the current climate) or busy roads (bad always). None of those are good outcomes right now.

Car is parked dangerously at a junction - a pedestrian is hit by another driver who couldn’t see them. They are brought to ICU taking up a bed that might be needed by a Covid-19 patient. I think we can all agree that now isn’t the time to be putting pressure on hospitals?

Car is parked legally but the driver overstays their parking ticket - other people find it hard to get parking in the city centre and decide to go to Dundrum next time.

So which offences do you think should be ignored/encouraged by the council to entice people to shop in the city centre?

I was thinking more of suspending on street parking charges and letting people park for free to encourage people to come in and to avoid crowding public transport.

Your social distancing comment is especially hilarious. What percentage of the Irish population do you think are remotely bothered with social dstancing? I'd say 25% would be generous.

markpb

double jobbing wrote: »

I was thinking more of suspending on street parking charges and letting people park for free to encourage people to come in and to avoid crowding public transport.

Your social distancing comment is especially hilarious. What percentage of the Irish population do you think are remotely bothered with social dstancing? I'd say 25% would be generous.

Did you just argue with yourself in one post?

turbocab

Del2005 wrote: »

They are doing the best to keep cars out of our cities not trying to encourage them back in. Have you missed all the car parking spaces that have been removed and the cycle lane down the quays of Dublin, they definitely aren't designed to encourage cars.

they can all they like,shoppers are going online folks,i wouldnt dream of going into city centre

Truthvader

turbocab wrote: »

they can all they like,shoppers are going online folks,i wouldnt dream of going into city centre

Yep good old Owen Keegan. Only one agenda. He will destroy Dublin like he did Dun Laoghaire. Slowly turning into Junkieland.

First service introduced after lockdown? Clamping. And still the overflowing rubbish bins and dog**** carpet abide

Well done Owen, Keep the bicycle loons happy.

AndrewJRenko

Truthvader wrote: »

Yep good old Owen Keegan. Only one agenda. He will destroy Dublin like he did Dun Laoghaire. Slowly turning into Junkieland.

First service introduced after lockdown? Clamping. And still the overflowing rubbish bins and dog**** carpet abide

Well done Owen, Keep the bicycle loons happy.

Bin service never stopped Vader, it kept going all the way through, and that's the truth.

Why don't you ask the retailers in Suffolk St about the 15% increase in sales they got after the Council listened to the bicycle loons and pedestrianised it?

Truthvader

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

Bin service never stopped Vader, it kept going all the way through, and that's the truth.

Why don't you ask the retailers in Suffolk St about the 15% increase in sales they got after the Council listened to the bicycle loons and pedestrianised it?

Why dont you ask the business owners in Dun Laoghaire.....oh you cant Keegan wiped them out.

AndrewJRenko

Truthvader wrote: »

Why dont you ask the business owners in Dun Laoghaire.....oh you cant Keegan wiped them out.

Nothing to do with rather large Dundrum Town Centre that was built about 15 minutes away, and the Carrickmines retail park in between?

Truthvader

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

Nothing to do with rather large Dundrum Town Centre that was built about 15 minutes away, and the Carrickmines retail park in between?

Yep. Places where you can park without harrassment.

Dufflecoat Fanny

theres a banger in the clonshaugh circle k for the last god knows how long

CBear1993

I thought this thread said “Dublin clapping is back” and I almost did the “for fcuuuuuuksake hands on head.

Thursday night nonsense out the front door. What a relief

Hairy Japanese BASTARDS!

I've never understood the logic of public clamping.

If a vehicle is blocking a junction or disabled space, towing it is more effective than clamping it in place, prolonging the delay.

If a vehicle has an expired parking disc or none at all, a fine is sufficient. Council fines are enforcible by the courts so it's not like you can avoid it. And the type of person who'd ignore the fine would probably cut the clamp anyway.

The only people who are negatively impacted are people who are clamped when the clamper misreads their reg when they pay by text or other clamper error. The motorist still have to pay and appeal and could miss an appointment or flight as a result.

It's only really beneficial to stop people abusing apartment parking or other private car parks.

markpb

Hairy Japanese BASTARDS! wrote: »

I've never understood the logic of public clamping.

If a vehicle is blocking a junction or disabled space, towing it is more effective than clamping it in place, prolonging the delay.

If a vehicle has an expired parking disc or none at all, a fine is sufficient. Council fines are enforcible by the courts so it's not like you can avoid it. And the type of person who'd ignore the fine would probably cut the clamp anyway.

DCC used parking fine years ago. They were almost totally useless for enforcement so people widely ignored parking regulations. The fine didn’t have an immediate impact on the motorist and the cost of chasing the fine was paid by DCC so they had the double whammy of being expensive and useless.

Clamping came in and the problem more or less went away, at least for paid parking violations which is where DSPS were told to spend most of their time. The offending motorist suffers the immediate impact of losing the use of their car and the financial impact of having to pay for the declamp. And the bright yellow boot has the added advantage of being a very visible warning to other motorists to park legally.

If you look around the city centre, you’ll rarely see people being clamped for parking near junction or in clearways. That’s because DSPS regularly tow those cars away, either to a safer location where they’re clamped or to the pound.

The only people who are negatively impacted are people who are clamped when the clamper misreads their reg when they pay by text or other clamper error. The motorist still have to pay and appeal and could miss an appointment or flight as a result.

If you buy a parking ticket from a machine, there’s no need to enter your reg. If you buy a ticket from the ParkingTag website, it shows you the make, model and colour of your car so there’s no excuse for making that mistake. Of course, there are other ways for mistakes to happen but I suspect the number of people indirectly clamped makes up a very tiny percentage of cars parked in the city each year.

AndrewJRenko

Truthvader wrote: »

Yep. Places where you can park without harrassment.

What harassment applies in Dundrum and Carrickmines? Have you seen the parking fees in Dundrum?

Truthvader

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

What harassment applies in Dundrum and Carrickmines? Have you seen the parking fees in Dundrum?

Ehhh.....that is precisely the point; there is no harassment. Parking is free in Carrickmines. Only been to Dundrum once and cant remember the charge. The point is that whatever the charge Keegan drove the customer base out of Dul Laoghaire by creating such a toxic anti car campaign that they would pay anything to go anywhere rather than deal with Keegans Dun Laoghaire. The result is that it is now a wasteland. He will do the same to Dublin.

markpb

Truthvader wrote: »

The point is that whatever the charge Keegan drove the customer base out of Dul Laoghaire by creating such a toxic anti car campaign that they would pay anything to go anywhere rather than deal with Keegans Dun Laoghaire. The result is that it is now a wasteland. He will do the same to Dublin.

He had seven years to do it. What’s keeping him? Whatever his plan in that time, the city centre was thriving until February so either his plan isn’t working or the conspiracy theorists are wrong.

Seth Brundle

You get tired reading that old spiel about Keegan & Dun Laoghaire.
The place was a kip before he made his changes. At its best, the shopping centre was crap. The shops on the main street weren't great either. Once the nearby centres such as Dundrum came along, DL was finished.
The local people who used to shop there went elsewhere mainly because of better choices elsewhere.
Keegan's changes didn't kill DL. It managed to do that just fine itself.
It's the same scenario right across the country. People complain that rural towns and villages are becoming desolate places yet are happy to hop in the car and drive to a retail park miles away!
But, hey, let's not allow facts get in the way of an ill-informed rant. :rolleyes:

AndrewJRenko

Truthvader wrote: »

Ehhh.....that is precisely the point; there is no harassment. Parking is free in Carrickmines. Only been to Dundrum once and cant remember the charge. The point is that whatever the charge Keegan drove the customer base out of Dul Laoghaire by creating such a toxic anti car campaign that they would pay anything to go anywhere rather than deal with Keegans Dun Laoghaire. The result is that it is now a wasteland. He will do the same to Dublin.

Bit of a contradiction there - if Dundrum is such a magnet, how come you've only been there yourself once in the 15 years since it opened?

The parking fee is €3 for the first three hours, and €3 per hour after that.

Do you really think that Carrickmines is interchangeable with Dun Laoghaire? Seems like fairly different kinds of stores to me, though I'd agree with you that it was a mistake to allow free parking at Carrickmines or other retail parks. It's really awful that the costs of providing and managing parking are paid by all customers, including those that don't drive.