Clamping and meters more forms of taxation

OWEN KEEGAN, county manager for Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown, has revealed his new year’s gift to residents of the borough: car clamping.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise as, in his previous role, Mr Keegan was traffic czar for Dublin city, where he also introduced clamping. At the time, we were assured clamping would only be used on cars which were illegally parked and causing an actual obstruction to traffic. We all know how that turned out.

The introduction of clamping coincides with the expansion of metered parking into residential suburbs.

The introduction of clamping is an opportunistic revenue-raising operation, as no new or improved parking facilities have been put in place by the county council. Parking meters and clamping are just taxation by another name.

Voters in this constituency will have ample opportunity in the coming months to express their views to political representatives of all parties who will come looking for their votes.

Peter Molloy

9 Haddington Park

Glenageary

Co Dublin