THE NUMBER OF fines dished out for dog fouling more than halved last year, which an advocacy group has said highlights the impact of poor enforcement of illegal car parking and dog fouling on visually impaired people in Ireland.

A new survey by Vision Ireland examines the impact of poor enforcement of illegal car parking and dog fouling for visually impaired people as it call on dog owners to clean up after their pet.

It highlighted the “astounding” number of parking fines issued – more than 22,000 in total alone is and gives an idea of the many thousands of obstacles people who are blind and vision impaired face when they’re out and about

The findings give an idea of the “many thousands of obstacles people who are blind and vision impaired face when they’re out and about”, according to Vision Ireland’s head of policy Kevin Kelly.

He said it was crucial for everyone to “take more responsibility for their actions” and work towards making public paths safer for all.

Fines alone will not solve these problems. We must all work together and do our part to clear our paths.

The survey found that over a third of respondents were impacted by dog waste in public spaces, with the number of dog fouling fines dropping from 82 in 2022 to just 36 across Ireland last year.

The group is launching a new campaign called ‘Clear Our Paths’ to encourage motorists as well as dog owners to consider the hazards they may be creating for people who are blind or vision impaired.

Fines are handed out by local authorities but Vision Ireland noted that 18 out of Ireland’s 31 councils issued no fines at all.

Kerry County Council was the top performer with 13 fines issued. Cork City Council – one of the largest local authorities in the country, handed zero fines.

Elsewhere, Dublin City Council issued eight fines, while there was just one fine handed out by Galway City Council. Limerick City and County Council issued three fines and one was issued by Waterford City and County Council.

While the number of fines issued across the country was low, Vision Ireland said it still welcomed efforts by local authorities to help reduce dog fouling.

It pointed to a number of councils runnig awareness campaigns in order to highlight dog fouling, including responsible dog ownership information leaflets.

It also highlighted councils in Tipperary and Longford for the novel approach of providing ‘Mutt Mitts’, which allow dog owners to dispose of dog waste safely.

The group also credited Clare County Council for providing dog litter bags at its area offices and other busy locations within the county.

Parked cars

70% of survey respondents also identified parked cars as blocking their route when using public paths.

Data provided by local authorities revealed that over 22,000 fines were issued to motorists who parked on footpaths/illegally.

The most by some margin were issued by Dublin City Council at more than 6,000. Cork City Council issued 2,402 and Galway City Councul was shortly behind at 2,313.

“Parked cars and dog waste are two of the biggest hazards people who are blind and vision impaired face on our footpaths,” Kelly, head of policy at Vision Ireland, said.

Chantelle Smith, Vision Ireland’s national access and mobility manager, said that people who are blind and vision can be placed at “significant risk” when stepping off a footpath into traffic after encountering obstacles such as parked cars.