The City's Newshound

Total number of vehicles clamped or towed decreased by nearly 4,000 in Dublin since 2011

By Alastair Magee and Liam McInerney

The total number of vehicle enforcements carried out by clamping company Dublin Street Parking Services (DSPS), decreased steadily in the last five years, despite a target of 60,000 being set by Dublin City Council (DCC) in 2014.

The number of vehicles clamped, relocated or towed last year fell to 54,715, a significant decrease from 58,575 in 2011, according to figures released to TheCity.ie under the Freedom of Information Act.

Last year’s decrease in enforcement followed a two-year period where the numbers averaged 56,443.

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(Source: Alastair Magee and Liam McInerney)

Currently, it costs €80 to have your car de-clamped by Dublin Street Parking Services (DSPS), the company that runs Dublin City Council’s parking services contract.

In his annual report for 2015, the city’s parking appeals officer, Bill Keilthy, proposed that this figure should be increased to deter consistent illegal parkers.

He argued that they should pay more than double the current standard clamp-release charge.

The number of vehicles removed to pounds in Dublin witnessed a steady increase from 344 in 2011 to 494 in 2015.

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(Source: Alastair Magee and Liam McInerney)

Vehicles can be towed away for several reasons. These include:

  • If your vehicle causes a hazard or obstruction, e.g. on a clearway.
  • If your vehicle is illegally parked, e.g. on a double yellow line.
  • If the time allowed on a Pay-and-Display ticket (max. 3 hours) has expired.

Dublin City Council planned to enforce stricter measures to combat the number of illegal parkers in the city this year and the annual report will show if any of these were successful.

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