Clamping rate falls in Dublin but rises in Cork

FEWER vehicles were clamped in Dublin last year according to new figures, but the clamping rate in Cork city increased in 2008.

Thu, 22 Jan, 2009 - 00:00

Statistics from Dublin City Council show that a total of 59,328 vehicles were either clamped, relocated or towed last year — a reduction of almost 1,000 compared with 2007, although that will be small comfort to those who paid out almost €4.7m to free their cars.

The vast majority of the vehicles affected were clamped, with 310 removed and the remainder relocated, all bringing in revenue of €4.69m.

The figures also indicate the areas of the capital with the highest clamping rates were the same as in 2007: North Great Georges Street, Waterloo Road, D’Olier Street, Noel Purcell Walk, Barrow Street, Smithfield and South William Street.

In Cork city more vehicles were clamped in the first 10 months of last year than in the same period in 2007 — 4,620 as opposed to 4,566.

That pulled in €362,825 for the council, while another €422,458 was raised through the towing of 2,779 vehicles in the city up to the end of October.

Adding in the €845,551.40 paid in parking fines in the same period, Cork city motorists had handed over €1.63m for parking mishaps.

With revenue from November and December yet to be added to the final total, 2008 is likely to be a more lucrative year than 2007.

Fingal County Council, the country’s fastest growing local authority area, confirmed that it issued a total of 16,140 parking fines in 2008.

Those fines applied to the towns and areas within the county where Pay & Display parking has been introduced, which were introduced in Malahide in 2002, in Skerries in 2005, in Balbriggan and Swords in 2006, and in Rush in 2008.

A spokesperson for Fingal County Council said: “The net income received under all Pay & Display Schemes for 2008 is €1,000,900, and all income received from Pay & Display is reinvested by Fingal County Council in traffic management schemes, traffic calming measures and special works projects throughout the county.”