With fines for illegal parking set to rise, Irish drivers are saying that signage indicating parking restrictions is not clear enough.
Clamping 'unfair'
According to a survey by AA Ireland, 16 per cent of Irish drivers feel that parking signage in their area is not clear. Three per cent of respondents have been clamped in the past year, and nine per cent of them felt that the circumstance of their clamping was unfair.
The AA conducted the survey just after Eamon Ryan, Minister for Transport, signed legislation doubling the cost of a parking fine from €40 to €80 for those parked on footpaths, or in bus and cycle lanes.
Footpath parking puts people at risk
"We support the introduction of increased fines as it is another step closer to protecting all our road users, especially pedestrians with access needs. If you park on a footpath you are putting those who are blind and vision-impaired and wheelchair users at major risk," states Anna Cullen from AA Ireland. "Parking on cycle lanes means cyclists are forced out onto the road with oncoming traffic, increasing their risk of being involved in a serious incident with a vehicle."
The cost of parking is also set to increase this week, with parking charges in Dublin going up by ten per cent (although there's a ten per cent discount for those using electronic parking and toll tags). "This new measure is to deter long-stay parking and it's also a way of encouraging people towards public transport instead of their cars. We have reported record-high fuel prices this month, which are severely impacting commuters. Now with increased parking charges, car users will have no choice but to consider their alternative options," states Cullen.
More flexibility
"Despite trying to deter long-stay parking, the AA Ireland survey found that 69 per cent of respondents think parking ticket times should actually be extended. The majority of respondents from right across the country felt there should be a 'grace period' or 'flexibility' of about 15 minutes on tickets, to allow for any hold-ups that may arise through no fault of the customer," adds Cullen.