DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL has said that clampers have returned to full and normal levels from today, after scaling back its activity in recent weeks.

The increased levels of clamping will apply to the high-demand “yellow zone” areas of the city, which includes the north and south side of the city centre encompassing Dorset Street to beyond the Grand Canal at Ballsbridge.

It said that clamping had continued as normal over the past month but that it scaled back some of its operations in a bid to ensure the cars of healthcare workers weren’t clamped.

“Parking enforcement has continued to operate with an emphasis on ensuring compliance with parking regulations and that bus lanes, cycle tracks and pedestrian spaces would be respected,” it said.

Last month, the council confirmed that it has instructed its parking enforcement contractor Dublin Street Parking Services to “exercise discretion” in terms of clamping cars on roads and streets surrounding hospitals, the Department of Health and HSE offices. 

The council said at the time it was endeavouring to put in place a more formal identification procedure for vehicles belonging to medical professionals and staff associated with medical facilities, to ensure spaces around these locations can be prioritised for the medical staff.

Bringing clamping levels back to “more normal levels” today, the council said it would be maintaining “agreed relaxations for health-related staff”. 

It added: “It should be noted that Dublin City Council continues to pursue a program of measures to help with social distancing for pedestrians and providing additional space for public transport users and cyclists and as these works scale up over the next number of weeks, we would ask the public’s assistance in ensuring that measures that have been introduced, for example removal of loading bays or parking spaces, for social distancing are being adhered to.”