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Dublin ambulance delayed to 999 call because of bad parking

Dublin Fire Brigade is asking for more thoughtful parking: “Leave space for emergency vehicles… thanks.”

Dublin Fire brigade roads Dublin Fire Brigade / Twitter Dublin Fire Brigade / Twitter / Twitter

EMERGENCY SERVICES IN Dublin were delayed responding to a 999 call today because of bad parking in Santry.

Our ambulance from C Watch Finglas was delayed on a 999 call due to some poor parking in Santry. Leave space for emergency vehicles… thanks.

Twitter users were annoyed at the blockage, with one user suggesting that the cars should be ”tipped on [their] sides and set alight”.

Dublin Fire Brigade responded by saying that they couldn’t condone setting them alight (obviously), but that it ‘wasn’t a bad suggestion’.

By parking on white zig-zag markings, drivers are breaking the law (if caught by local authorities or gardaí, you’re likely to be given a penalty).

Earlier, a turntable ladder, paramedics, and an ambulance was also hampered in their response to a medical call by local parking, and the Dublin Fire Brigade issued a reminder to leave space for large emergency vehicles.

Something to keep in mind next time we’re on the hunt for parking.

Read: Luas red line reopens after person injured in incident near Heuston Station

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40 Comments
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    Mute Barra O Brien
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    Apr 10th 2017, 8:29 PM

    People are far to full of their own self importance to even think about the needs of other people.

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    Mute Jho Harris
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    Apr 10th 2017, 11:05 PM

    @Barra O Brien: This issue was raised here last week and the self righteous were out in there numbers, they only to it because every else do it, they are visiting a friend, there is no where else to park. People have said to me when I suggest they have badly parked “I’ll be just a few minutes” but those few minutes could cost somebody their life. As I have always say “if your car is a dangerous when it is stopped how lethal when it is moving? Get tough on bad parking, in fact on bad driving, if is not a hobby it is a very real responsibility.

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    Mute Keith Ryan
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    Apr 10th 2017, 8:27 PM

    The ambulances should be allowed ram them, just enough to shift them… disgrace.

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    Mute Ted Logan
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    Apr 10th 2017, 8:43 PM

    Tow them and crush them!

    230
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    Mute Dave Murphy
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    Apr 10th 2017, 11:08 PM

    @Keith Ryan: and they should be charged for any damages the ambulances Rd I’ve whilst knocking them out of the way

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    Mute Dave Murphy
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    Apr 10th 2017, 11:09 PM

    @Keith Ryan: and they should be charged for any damages the ambulance received for knocking them out of way

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    Mute Mick Hannigan
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    Apr 11th 2017, 9:56 AM

    @Ted Logan: so which one do you tow? Who was the second person to park? The person who parked first obviously left more then enough room,
    I know what to do ya let’s make cars wide enough for one person that should help out a lot and totally reduce these incidents that are happening every minute of the day

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    Mute Stewart O Neill
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    Apr 10th 2017, 8:29 PM

    Fire and ambulance should be allowed to remove vehicles

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    Mute Suzie Sunshine
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    Apr 10th 2017, 8:31 PM

    A very common problem. People don’t care where they park or who they are blocking . It’s only a matter of time before vital minutes are lost and something more serious happens . That car should’ve been tipped aswell!

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    Mute Lynne
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    Apr 10th 2017, 8:33 PM

    In the image above, the two cars parked on opposite sides of the road are also parked on zigzag lines which is against the rules of the road (or local bye-laws). Perhaps if laws were applied even to simple things like this, the emergency services wouldn’t have these issues? Just a thought…

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    Mute Tony Hardwicke
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    Apr 10th 2017, 8:35 PM

    Ram bar fitted on all emergency service vehicles and bin lorries for that matter

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    Mute Suzie Sunshine
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    Apr 10th 2017, 8:38 PM

    @Tony Hardwicke: why bin lorries ?

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    Mute Tony Hardwicke
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    Apr 10th 2017, 8:45 PM

    @Suzie Sunshine: tired of no bin collections due to morons blocking the roads with carelessly parked cars

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    Mute Scorpionvenomm
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    Apr 10th 2017, 10:28 PM

    @Tony Hardwicke: i don’t agree with bin lorries but definitely for ambulance and fire brigade, what dumbass parks like that in the first place

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    Mute Keith Doyle
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    Apr 10th 2017, 11:24 PM

    @Scorpionvenomm: I generally park like that on my road (small road with 10 houses either side with access both ends) to slow the Dublin Bus drivers down. The speed they drive down my small road with many young kids playing either side of it. Never thought of emergency services though. It is possible to pass but as said in other comments ‘every second lost could cost someone their life’. Think I will stop doing this.

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    Mute Peter donnelly
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    Apr 11th 2017, 12:45 AM

    @Tony Hardwicke: perhaps the bin men could walk the short distance required to by pass the badly parked cars, but otherwise allow emergency vehicles push them out of the way….

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    Mute Simon O Callaghan
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    Apr 10th 2017, 8:33 PM

    Looks like they have driveways on that road . Last one to park knew there was not enough space. I bet it’s a good aul neighbour stand off.

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    Mute lavbeer
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    Apr 10th 2017, 8:46 PM

    @Simon O Callaghan: is there enough room for even a car to get through ?

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    Mute Peter donnelly
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    Apr 11th 2017, 12:52 AM

    @lavbeer: on roads like these which are on every housing estate parking should only be allowed one one side as very few have enough space to allow parking on both side`s with space to pass between them, I suppose they could park half on the footpath but then that creates other problems….

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    Mute Michael Carolan
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    Apr 11th 2017, 12:18 PM

    @Simon O Callaghan: I live beside this road…it’s very close to The Helix . It isn’t the residents blocking it but students/staff of DCU. Often have difficulty getting into my driveway due to cars parked either side and opposite my driveway.

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    Mute Tony Canning
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    Apr 10th 2017, 8:31 PM

    In this case neither car should be on the zig zags.

    But if they were both further up where there is no double yellows the second person to park is at fault.

    If that were the case, do you toss a coin over which one gets flipped and set on fire???

    84
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    Mute winston smith
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    Apr 10th 2017, 8:45 PM

    Street parking is one of the bane of estates caused by lazy drivers who couldn’t bother to park their car in their drive or consider others who may need to pass.

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    Mute Lesley O Meara
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    Apr 10th 2017, 10:48 PM

    @winston smith: maybe a fine for people who have a driveway and don’t use it and those who park with the backend of their car parked in the middle of the road, that has to be illegal parking in a housing estate.

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    Mute Chris Redmond
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    Apr 10th 2017, 9:06 PM

    This happens regular all around Glasnevin,Santry,Shanliss and surrounding areas Mon-Fri due to DCU as it’s paid parking.

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    Mute eastsmer #IRExit
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    Apr 10th 2017, 9:38 PM

    This event aside, there is not enough room planned in to the roads when building estates.

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    Mute Lesley O Meara
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    Apr 10th 2017, 10:50 PM

    @eastsmer #IRExit: most gardens have driveways.

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    Mute Michael Carolan
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    Apr 11th 2017, 12:20 PM

    @Lesley O Meara: cars belong to students and staff of DCU.

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    Mute Joe Bloggs
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    Apr 10th 2017, 8:38 PM

    https://youtu.be/2bqkDjVyu80

    Learn from the Americans

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    Mute Linda Cullen
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    Apr 10th 2017, 9:35 PM

    Happened in my estate in tallaght years ago, the road at the back of me has always been a disgrace. The lady the ambulance was trying to get to died (she was elderly, may well have died regardless) the residents on that road were ate over it, they stopped parking on the street for awhile but within 3 months it was back to the same mess!

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    Mute Jamie Jj Tobin
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    Apr 10th 2017, 8:32 PM

    The way these two idiots pulled in makes me wish their father had pulled out!

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    Mute Tony Canning
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    Apr 10th 2017, 8:59 PM

    @Jamie Jj Tobin: You know what they call people who pull out?

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    Mute Jamie Jj Tobin
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    Apr 10th 2017, 9:01 PM

    @Tony Canning: Tell me?

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    Mute Tony Canning
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    Apr 11th 2017, 9:24 AM

    @Jamie Jj Tobin: Parents, they call them parents….

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    Mute Phil Swan
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    Apr 10th 2017, 9:25 PM

    Not a bit surprised they should have left the reg unblurred to shame them.

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    Mute Government Sachs
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    Apr 10th 2017, 8:44 PM

    At least they didn’t park on the footpath

    11
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    Mute Audrey Nic Canna
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    Apr 11th 2017, 9:02 AM

    I live in this area and there are alot of elderly residents that may need medical attention and who also attend day centres and care collected by mini buses. These badly parked cars are students and staff from DCU not local residents, they park in their driveways. Mammy and Daddy provide top of the range cars for their precious darlings to drive to college but don’t provide the funds for them to pay for parking in DCU multi – storey. I have approached students about their selfish parking only to he told to F off. Lovely.

    11
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    Mute Tony Canning
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    Apr 11th 2017, 9:30 AM

    @Audrey Nic Canna: I heard that people often solve such problems with a matchstick being shoved into a couple of tyre valves. I’m told it’s particularly effective because it’s pretty much impossible to remove without having to pay for it and that it is of particular inconvenience when it’s done to more than one tyre.

    Not that I know anything about it or am encouraging such behaviour…..

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    Mute robert murphy
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    Apr 10th 2017, 9:38 PM

    tip them and burn them. burn them all.

    17
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    Mute Niall Binéad
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    Apr 11th 2017, 12:49 PM

    Every car/van/bike etc…… when the emergency vehicles finally get through should be hit with a sizeable enough fine and towed straight after! If people’s lives depend on their access, no fine etc…… should be too much!

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    Mute Niall Ó Cofaigh
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    Apr 13th 2017, 1:28 AM

    while the cars in this image may be parked illegally – just down the road where the traffic cones are they could be parked opposite each other and neither in their own right parked illegally. I suspect they are parked in that location to allow for tree pruning further down the road.

    There is an issue whereby the local councils allowed for very narrow roads to be built in housing estates, in some occasions with off road parking for one vehicle and in others with no off road parking resulting in the type of situation we see above – the blame for this must in the first instance lie with the planning authorities that allowed such narrow roads to be built. There was not allowance made for families having more then one car even though we are seeing where houses may have multiple cars (there are four drivers in our house sometimes).

    One could ban parking on one or both sides of the road – but this would affect residents and mean that people might not be able to park at or near their own home. In the image above the trees and grass could be removed to facilitate widening the road to cater for the parking requirements – but that would be a shame in itself.. but, as said before, the planners failed to plan for future requirements….

    All that said and all the blame thrown about, care and consideration needs to be taken by anyone parking a vehicle to ensure that adequate access is available, not just for emergency vehicles but for all types of vehicles that are likely to used that road.

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    Mute Jo Grant Fahey
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    Apr 10th 2017, 8:35 PM

    This is a major problem around Kilmore West on all roads leading to and surrounding the back gates of Beaumont hospital.

    1
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