Call for zero tolerance on match day parking

The Gardaí and community wardens should adopt a “zero tolerance” parking policy targeting Pearse Stadium and Terryland during match days to prevent people becoming hostages in their homes.

That is the view of newly co-opted councillor Collette Connolly, who accused the authorities of a piecemeal attitude when it came to enforcing the parking laws.

Parents with children at nearly every school in the city caused chaos at drop off or collection times, she fumed at this week’s Joint City Policing Committee meeting.

“I’ve seen elderly people in wheelchairs not knowing what to do, going on the roads because of cars parked on the footpaths,” railed the independent councillor who replaced her sister Catherine on the City Council last month.

“Every single time the city is held to ransom every time there’s a match in Salthill and on the Dyke Road. Car parks are not being used during the matches. People are being held up for hours in their cars during a match…The vision we must have is equality for everyone.”

She said irresponsible parking was causing an inherent danger to kids, who were running across the road.

“Could the Gardaí on a pilot basis – every six months – work with the warden with specific schools to get the message out in relation to the crisis of illegal parking?”

She submitted a motion calling on the Gardaí and community wardens to adopt a zero tolerance parking policy.

Mayor Frank Fahy, who seconded the motion, said after his complaints at the last meeting, Gardaí were more proactive in issuing tickets to cars parked on footpaths and disabled spots – however, this had now lapsed the problem was as bad as ever.

“Every day I can count 40 or 50 cars parked illegally. It reflects very poorly on the Garda Siochána when cars are parked illegally . . . it’s the people with disabilities, people with canes having to come off the footpaths and going onto the road.”

He said hot spots around the House Hotel, Eglinton Street and Foster Street were causing obstructions for emergency vehicles and serious congestion for the rest of the motorists.

Cllr Donal Lyons said the last time this zero tolerance policy was in place a clamping company was enforcing the parking laws which ended up with the clamping of parents of sick children attending GPs in an emergency, painting the city in a very bad light.

Chief Superintendent Tom Curley said the city would need a minimum of 1,000 Gardaí to deal with every breach and “still we wouldn’t be in a position to commit to zero tolerance on illegal parking”.

He said patrol cars did not physically generate parking tickets but issued fines electronically. Some 251 parking tickets had been issued in Salthill since January.

“We are considering going back to the old system and issuing a ticket as a preventative measure. Tickets are being issued but it would seem we have to issue more,” he stated.

Gardaí would also look into working with schools to address dangerous parking.

An amended motion by Cllr Connolly calling on the Gardaí to take a proactive approach to illegal parking was passed unanimously.