AN OIRECHTAS COMMITTEE has suggested giving a 50 per cent discount to drivers who pay their parking fines within 14 days of them being issued.

The Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Transport, Culture and the Gaeltacht has recommended the move to the Minister for Transport, as part of a range of proposals on the Road Traffic Bill.

The committee said that halving the fine for timely payments could ultimately reduce administration costs and encourage early payment. A similar system has proved very effective in Northern Ireland, according to committee chairman Ciaran Lynch.

The committee has made a submission to the transport minister Leo Varadkar concerning a number of legislative issues. It has called for driving instruction to be compulsory on the school curriculum, clarification on the planned centralisation of the driving licence system and a return to NCT test centres issuing reminders of renewal dates.

The submission also asks for advice from the Attorney General on the constitutionality of taking blood specimens from unconscious drivers, and recommends that drivers who hold a provisional licence should have to take a test to qualify for a full licence within a specific time period.

Other proposals include:

• Introducing penalty points for the illegal dumping of vehicles.
• Allow vehicles transporting Dublin Bikes between stations in the city to use the bus lanes.
• A provision to allow Local Authorities to grant ‘Residents Only’ parking permits.
• To reconsider proposals to move roadworthiness tests of commercial vehicles to a centralised location and away from local garages, which could impact on employment in local garages.

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