DUBLIN CITY COUNCILLORS have recommended that clamping release fees should rise in line with inflation in future.
The city’s transport committee say that the €80 fee should be increased to €130 in order to allow the city break even.
A report from the city’s parking appeals officer was considered by the transport committee this week.
There are 30,000 parking spaces in Dublin and around 24 million parking events every year. However, the number of clampings is capped at 56,000.
This means that the council can only bring in €4.4 million for a service that costs €7 million a year.
The committee will write to the Transport Minister to ask him to increase the fee.
The report also shows that 73% of those clamped last year were clamped only once between 2011 and 2014.
One car was clamped 51 times and 2,314 were clamped between five and 50 times.
The council wants the power to punish persistent offenders more harshly.
Hotspots
The report also showed the roads which had the most cars clamped in 2014.
They show that Merrion Square is particularly lucrative, with the south and west side of the square combining for almost 1,300 clampings.
Appeals
In total, 596 appeals led to the driver being fully refunded, but the vast majority, 76%, are declined.
If your ticket slips off your dashboard, don’t expect to be let off, either. 99% of appeals are declined.
The report says that parking service staff do a job which “benefits the city greatly”, even if people don’t recognise or appreciate it.
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