TheCity

Tag: car

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

    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.

    image-16
    (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.

    image-17
    (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.

  • NCT odour debate lingers on

    NCT odour debate lingers on

    On an airing of RTÉ Liveline last month, a man called Connor phoned in about his unusual NCT test experience.

    His vehicle was refused by a tester on the basis of a smell of fish present inside. The caller was a self-employed restaurant owner from Carrickmacross, Co. Monaghan, who occasionally transports fish in the car. He claimed the odour was not strong enough to cause the tester any immediate distress.

    A staff member told him over the phone that a foul or unpleasant smell would be a Health and Safety issue to a tester. As a consequence, Connor was not even given a certificate of failure but did have his fee returned.

    He was contentious about the guideline which mentions vehicle cleanliness. It requires a car to be “reasonably clean”, but it does not mention odours. He also referred to the fact that Applus+ is the only vehicle test company operating in Ireland, which meant he had nowhere else to go.

    A spokesperson for the NCT Customer Service stated that “They should be in the condition that a tester can conduct the test in comfort. Obviously if the smell is too bad, they cannot perform the test and they have the right to stop it.”

    He continued, “In the case of a dispute, you would have to speak to a team leader. They would be able to look at it better than we (at the call centre) would. If there was an issue of smell, they can make a judgment on it.”

    TheCity.ie found some members of the public to react to this, and queried about how fair or unfair these measures are.

    Photo Credits: Caro’s Lines on Flickr

    Video Credits:

    Reporter: Eoin Harmon

    Camera: Kay Cairns

    Production: Kay Cairns