3500 people illegally removed clamps in a year

zg3409

https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/dublin/2023/01/27/over-3500-people-illegally-removed-clamps-from-their-cars-in-dublin-city-last-year/

That's an average of 10 a day...

The battery grinders in Lidl must be selling well.

hoodie6029

Are you still liable for the fine even if you cut it off? Or can you plausibly deny touching the clamp. ‘Lent the car to my friend that day. Could’ve been him. He’s back in <insert foreign country> now.’

HeidiHeidi

I reckon at least half of those were on my road!

We're close to the site of the new kids hospital, and the road is constantly clogged with builders' cars and vans.

There was one point where it was rare to come home and there wasn't at least 3 clamps left up against house railings in the evenings.

Roxxers

be good scrap metal price in those where do you live boss ?

mikeecho

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120166604#Comment_120166604

I think in the absence of CCTV, the defense is... What clamp, I came back to my car/van and there was just a sticker on the window.. didn't see or remove any clamp.

Hellrazer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058281635/3500-people-illegally-removed-clamps-in-a-year

That's an average of 10 a day...

Thats nothing - There was one day when I cut off 10 in an hour!!!

The Continental Op

The OP fails to mention the figures are just for Dublin (you need to read article in the link). So the numbers of clamps removed around the country must be way higher.

Delighted. A horrible horrible thing.

Marcusm

I’m going to challenge the title on the basis that I will bet a lot fewer than 3,500 people cut off the clamps. I’m going to assume that a large number were cut off by a small group of people.

ELM327

Delighted.

SteM

Used to see builders and delivery lads do it all the time when I worked down in the docklands. Once saw 2 lads having a race to see who could it do it quicker.

newmember2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120168880#Comment_120168880

The clampers take a photo of the newly clamped car don't they?

bucketybuck

Now tell us how many illegally fitted clamps were removed in a year.

zg3409

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120182112#Comment_120182112

They do. I think in general without 100% clear evidence of owner shown cutting the clamp they will have trouble prosecuting. Even then the cost won't be worth it and these are the type of people to not show in court, not pay the fine, avoid follow up. I think they put it down to the cost of doing business. Typically they get most of the clamp back and so the overall cost is built into the price.

They might take a few repeat offenders to court, but possibly only after they watch the car all day and record them removing the clamp. Even then they may need gardai there to verify identity of driver and to be witnesses. They possibly are worried about losing in court too and the impact that might have overall.

Whocare

Was actually clamp yesterday in Dublin DCC and clamp was only sitting on wheel probably couldn't get chain around suspension . Would dcc follow up if I just put clamp beside footpath and drove on

Plus why don't DCC just ticket car first instead of clamp it just scam people out of money 125 to remove a clamp

Deregos.

What's the best make/model of cordless angle grinder and disc type that you'd recommended to have close to hand, should such a dire occasion arise?

The Continental Op

I've used the Lidl, DeWalt, Makita, Hitachi and Milwaukee grinders. In an "emergency" I'd be happy to have any of them with a fully charged battery. I have the DeWalt which with a 4 or 5 Amp battery is really good the Milwaukee is perhaps the better tool but the cheap Lidl grinder does a perfectly good job. Having a fully charged battery is obviously a necessity and you might get away with a fully charged 2 Amp battery but 4 Amp or larger would be better. With 2 Amp you might only just get the job done.

You don't want to grind the lock or chain off you want to cut it. For that 1mm thick (they vary from 0.8 to 1.2mm depending on make and exact spec) grinding discs for stainless steel are probably the best, what I'd use anyway. They can break if what you are cutting can move so have at least one spare and the spanner for changing them. Example https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ultra-thin-stainless-steel-cuttings/dp/B00LX4J6KW/

The Continental Op

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120194110#Comment_120194110

You sure the clamp hadn't been cut off another car and just propped against your wheel? Or perhaps someone obligingly cut the clamp off for you?

Deregos.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120194264#Comment_120194264

Excellent info, cheers.

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120170357#Comment_120170357

Horrible to have builders vans and Skodas taking up the limited number of parking spaces with all day parking.

Hellrazer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120191107#Comment_120191107

The clamper man videoed me cutting them off and nothing ever came of it. The garda wouldnt get involved because it was a private car park. I do think its different if its a council clamper though.

Hellrazer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120194264#Comment_120194264

The Lidl one is fine for most "emergencies"

Theres always one fully charged in the boot of my car. But you do need the bigger battery on it the 4ah one. It will usually get through a few clamps with one disc unless you are kind of bending the disc and it breaks on you - make sure you have goggles just in case or a cool pair of sunglasses to look bad ass cutting those clamps off:)

endacl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120182112#Comment_120182112

"Hand on heart, yer honour. There wasn't a clamp on it when I parked it, and there was no clamp on it when I got back. I've no idea what happened in the meantime. Nothing to do with me. I was in the shop/cinema/whatever."

Allinall

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120194854#Comment_120194854

Lying in court. Not cool, and will probably land you in a lot more trouble than getting clamped.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120194700#Comment_120194700

Would agree

Whocare

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120194279#Comment_120194279

No notice on windscreen has my reg on it

Disgusting really was waiting over hour for them to take clamp as I was thinking 🤔 knowing my luck if I just put it beside footpath someone Rob the clamp and dcc be looking for me pay for clamp as I "remove it from car"

LasersGoPewPew

According to S.I. No. 421 of 2017 VEHICLE CLAMPING AND SIGNAGE REGULATIONS 2017 ARRANGEMENT OF REGULATIONS (part two), clampers must observe a vehicle for no less than 10 minutes before they apply a clamp but this is never the case. They immediately rock up, fit the clamp and leave, I have seen many clamps fitted by Apcoa and city councils and never once did they wait to observe. So they're constantly breaking regulation.

Does anybody know what type/brand of lock Apcoa mainly use? I need to know educational purposes only.

Seth Brundle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120196079#Comment_120196079

The SI does not even mention the word "observe".

It does say things such as:

(A) where the relevant parking fee has not been paid, not less than ten (10) minutes have elapsed following detection of the failure to pay the relevant parking fee; or

(B) where the period, for which the paid relevant parking fee applies, has expired, not less than ten (10) minutes have elapsed after the expiry of that period.

So according to (b), they can clamp once the ticket has expired by ten minutes (which means that in theory they can clamp as soon as they arrive)!

https://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2017/si/421/made/en/print

Allinall

Vast majority of cars that get clamped don't have any ticket, or have not paid anything.

The Continental Op

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120197091#Comment_120197091

I may be twisting the words to fit but

not less than ten (10) minutes have elapsed following detection of the failure to pay

suggests to me thats ten minutes after detection of the failure to pay not ten minutes after the times up?

Seth Brundle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120197460#Comment_120197460

Read A and B again.

A is for when there is no ticket. B is for when the ticket has expired. Neither if which are what was originally claimed.

zg3409

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120196079#Comment_120196079

The lock itself is normally strongest part. They are designed to be cut resistant.

magicbastarder

i'd be curious about people who habitually carry around an angle grinder specifically for the purpose of cutting clamps off their illegally parked cars. like they feel they're entitled to store their large items of private property in space that's not theirs?

The Continental Op

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120198106#Comment_120198106

Thing is an angle grinder doesn't cut it grinds away little bit at a time at a small area. Any lock you can get to the shackle will last less than 10 seconds against an angle grinder, it really is the weakest point. If you check out google images for clamps around Dublin you'll notice a lot of really crappy Master Locks being used on the clamps. These aren't particularly strong.

Most clamps leave the lock exposed the only difficulty in removing it with a grinder is that its often loose leaving it wobbling about as you grind it. If you tension the chain its a lot easier (or foot on it to hold it) but if the shackle is short or shrouded as with some better locks its just easier to cut the chain really good chain would take around 2 minutes to cut through. The chain on most clamps is 10mm and it can be cut in around a minute. Downside of cutting the chain is you have to cut through both sides of a link with many padlocks cutting the shackle anywhere will allow the sections to rotate saving having to cut twice.

Nope I've never cut a clamp off but I have had to remove a few padlocks and cut a few chains (lost keys 🙄) which is a very easy job with an angle grinder. Note easiest way to find the keys is to cut the padlock shackle as the keys nearly always get found soon after. If you cut the chain just in case the keys turn up they will be lost for ever - think that Sods Law.

I suspect the chain and lock quality of many clamps is deliberately poor simply because its not worth using really expensive materials if there is a good chance someone will cut them off with an angle grinder. A better chain and padlock will take longer to get through but we are talking no more than an extra minute which really is no time at all, although if you are the one doing the cutting I suspect it will seem like hours ;-)

eggy81

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120194700#Comment_120194700

Should probably be parking provided somewhere really.

unkel

Cheers @Seth Brundle, I didn't realise there was effectively a 10 minute grace period after your ticked expired.

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120198669#Comment_120198669

That’s between them and whoever they are working for, just like any other workplace. The world doesn’t owe them parking.

eggy81

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120199706#Comment_120199706

Indeed. I’m just saying contractors seem to expect subcontractors to magic into work with their gear particularly on inner city projects. Space is obviously at a premium but the jobs need doing and the equipment needs to be there. I agree when it comes to the individual workers getting in. In that case surely a remote site with shuttle bus can be utilised . Some of the better project management companies do use that sort of system. The fact is a large chunk of the workers working in construction in city’s do commute from big distances out. No planning at all to accommodate them.

Hellrazer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120198271#Comment_120198271

Mines in the boot because myself and a few members of staff cut a load of clamps off customers cars because some idiot clamper didnt realise that my boss also owned the car park that the cars were parked in. We had the right to park our customers cars in this car park and there was a written agreement in place. Even when shown the agreement he wouldnt remove the clamps so we cut them off. Put them in the basement. He came back a week later and asked for them back on the agreement that he wouldnt clamp customers cars again. Guess what ?

He went out and clamped more customers cars with the clamps we gave back to him. So we cut them off again.Didnt give them back this time. So he clamped again. The cycle continued until he was told that he would run out of clamps before we ran out of angle grinder discs.

But he did say that photos of myself and staff would be circulated and that if we parked in any car park run by this crowd we`d be clamped. That was a few years ago but I still keep the angle grinder in the boot just in case.

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120199724#Comment_120199724

It should actually be a planning condition that the main contractor has to actually manage parking for crews. Without that, it is dumping on the local community

eggy81

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120199740#Comment_120199740

100%. I’ve been on sites particularly in dough inner city where it’s been really bad how many cars have been left in streets in residential areas which are already jammed. Not fair on local population at all.