This time the calls are coming from retailers in Rathmines, who claim parking enforcers are making a thousand euro a week from one short section of the main street alone.
They say it’s hurting their business because customers are so nervous.
Tony Greene, a barber in Rathmines, says "Yeah well, it's a big problem in Rathmines, it's intensified, and we're losing customers at a terrible rate because they're coming in from outside the town to do a lot of shopping and that in the area and they're jumped upon by the clampers, who are very over-enthusiastic. It's just a major problem really."
Parking has grown into a major cause of concern in many Irish towns and cities. Smaller towns particularly often struggle to provide adequate parking facilities for shoppers. For every case of unfair clamping, though, there is another of badly parked cars adversely affecting those trying to access local shops and businesses.
Parking also remains valuable income source for local authorities - DCC, for example, earn an estimated €130 million a year from legal parking fees - so it is in their interest to persuade people to pay for legal parking.
Clamping has become such a scourge for Dublin City residents, however, that some have taken matters into their own hands. A ‘Robin Hood of clamping’ spoke to Newstalk back in April, explaining that, after being victim to expensive clamps himself, he now removes the clamps off cars using simple tools he carries around with him.
“I take off the clamp myself and drop it back to the clamping depot,” explained the anonymous de-clamper. “They don’t say anything to me.”
However, he does warn that he only helps out those that have been unfairly targeted: “I only remove the clamps for people if their ticket has expired a few minutes before. It wouldn’t be right to help out someone who is wrongfully parked in a disabled parking space. It has to be genuine.” You can read more about his activities here.
Do you think clampers are over-enthusiastic in your area? Is there a pressing need for councils to provide more parking facilities to help support local businesses? Is clamping a necessary evil? Vote in our poll and leave your comments below.
