Gone in 60 seconds ..

Asmodean

Yeah she was wrong but unfortunately some people love to climb up onto their high horse when they have a chance to belittle other people. You'd swear your wife was after murdering someone! And I'm sure if some people on here were caught doing something illegal the excuses would be flying from their mouths too

cornbb

I can see the OP's point, I'd be pissed too if I got fined for illegally parking for 60 seconds when there are so many other ills in the world. But at the same time I'd realise that I was chancing it, I got caught, suck it up and move on. Ranting about it on the internet isn't going to win much sympathy. And I'd agree that illegal parking is a major nuisance in the city.

KevR

I know your wife half-parked on a wide footpath and wasn't really causing an obstruction to road users or footpath users and that she wasn't there long but, to be honest, the Gardai can't start making exceptions for anyone in any situation or other people wil no doubt start taking the piss and parking places where they do block traffic and/or the footpath.

If they start making exceptions they may aswell not bother enforcing it at all. They have to be very strict about it for it to deter people from parking illegally.

I do wish they would clamp down on taxi drivers in Eyre Square and on O'Brien's Bridge though. The ones that park illegally are badly disrupting the flow of trafffic around town. (But to be fair, there isn't enough taxi rank space and the City Council should really address this).

AdamantApproach

The Garda should have told her that he was issuing a fine. Cnut.

padi89

peanuthead wrote: »

Jaysus padi89, gtf over it.

Your telling me to get over it?:D That's the advice the OP should be getting.If he admitted his wife was in the wrong but felt hard done by fair enough but it's the piss poor generic excuses that i find pathetic.

snubbleste

Very topical issue..

Fri 22nd May 2009
A new pedestrian rights group is calling on the City Council and Gardaí to "walk the walk" regarding illegal parking on footpaths in the city.
Cosáin, the Community Road Safety Action and Information Network was set up recently to protect and promote pedestrians right to safety. It says footpath parking is a chronic problem in the city and forces parents with buggies and people using wheelchairs out onto the road.

irisheddie85

On the actual op question, I think they have started to crack down on parking in the past few weeks in galway.
The wardens are out after 6.30 and on sundays. never used to see this. But the enforcement is a bit dodgey as i know of 2 tickets that were given to people parked in loading bays after hours. Both delivery drivers parked outside restaurants they work in.
I have no problem paying tickets when i actually deserved them. But if the wardens are changing the rules that is not fair on anyone.

toxick

had a few parking tickets myself, remember one time i parked in town at 6:45, got back to the car around 8:30 to find a ticket on it saying no valid p&d ticket.. and says ticket was issued at 6:15. a total 30 mins befor i parked there. went up to city hall complained and got the ticket thrown out.

however OP your wife was parking illegal, even with the child in the back, find a proper place to park, and bring the child with her to collect the other child.

she was in the wrong and she got hte ticket.

gary82

Xiney wrote: »

Parking on the footpath is illegal.

I'm glad they're finally starting to enforce it.

Definately +1

Cars moving in slow traffic in Galway won't even stop to let you cross, the least they can do is stay off our footpaths. I know a guy on a wheelchair and you can imagine his annoyance at cars pulling up "just for a sec".

majiktripp wrote: »

So why aren't they fining all the taxi's who park well down beyond the taxi rank outside St. Pats School every day, practically all the way down to Mill St. Garda station some nights. And most of the time there not actually moving, just parked.

Good point!! Especially when it's right next to Millstreet Garda station!!!

Robbo

Ah, parental solipsism. Why park safely and legally when you can get right to the door and do your bit for childhood obesity?

My advice to you is suck it up and have her pay the fine. You were in the wrong and you were caught. It's €40, not 6 months hard labour in Achill Island.

inisboffin

I would say yeah, glad they're enforcing it. If I was the OP I would feel out of joint even though I was in the wrong, mainly because of the CONSISTENT lack of enforcement in other places. O'Brien Bridge pisses me off, but for some reason, the one that gets me most is the one or 2 cars that are SO often parked on Dominic St, near the shop and the Chinese, opposite the venue 'formerly known as Taylor's '. Buggies on the road constantly. My mate had his guitar clipped by a car as you CAN'T EFFIN GET BY on the already small footpath.
And the other side of the road is the lovely bouncers from various establishments. One in particular I've observed outside the RD, seeming to delight in standing in the middle of the footpath, arms folded, thus making (mostly women) have to walk around them on the road.
If he needs his power that badly....

JohnCleary

Robbo wrote: »

6 months hard labour in Achill Island.

Is it a bad thing that i'd actually enjoy that??

Melty

i find it funny the way pedestrians and motorists are referred to as almost two completely different species - like you can only be one or the other!

as a pedestrian AND a motorist i say - screw 'em all

Xiney

Robbo wrote: »

solipsism

OT

I should become a librarian. I loves me some words.

GerardKeating

DD67 wrote: »

I wish they gave out tickets as quickly to people driving around with phones stuck to there ears, but then i suppose that would mean they would have to actually exit their squad car to get your details. :rolleyes:

Actually they don't, just bang the reg number into a computer and instant ticket...

bigeasyeah

Ah yes the old "I broke the law but it was only for a little while so I should get off scot free" arguement.
Lets apply this logic to another offence shall we? Lets say a young man involved in a spot of fisticuffs.
"Sorry Garda I only punched him the face for a few seconds,can I go home now?"
You broke the law and got caught.Stop whinging.

JohnCleary

bigeasyeah wrote: »

Ah yes the old "I broke the law but it was only for a little while so I should get off scot free" arguement.
Lets apply this logic to another offence shall we? Lets say a young man involved in a spot of fisticuffs.
"Sorry Garda I only punched him the face for a few seconds,can I go home now?"
You broke the law and got caught.Stop whinging.

In fairness after re-reading the OP, I don't think he was whinging, he was just wondering if it happened to anyone else. He said he paid the fine almost immediately.

JohnCleary

GerardKeating wrote: »

Actually they don't, just bang the reg number into a computer and instant ticket...

Are you certain about that? Thought they'd have to be appraoched.

For instance, Ireland has an ANPR system (well, it's being pulled again as it's a huge flop - DB's only updating something like once every few months instead of live) on some Gardai cars so if they see you're out of tax, they pull you rather than just issuing a fine.

Infact I don't see how just entering the reg number to fine someone for being on the phone would work at all as there's a huge chance the person driving may not be the owner of the car. Infact it's a totally stupid idea, so wouldn't be surprised if it WAS what the Gardai were doing :pac:

BENDYBINN

JohnCleary wrote: »

GF got a fine when picking up dry-cleaning, i'd say again she was literly 60 seconds in the place (She parked in a P&D but didn't buy a ticket since she was right outside)

She got a ticket. D'ya know what she did? She paid it and got over it because she was in the wrong (However petty it may have been)

Suck it up, your wife parked illegally.

If it's that much of a problem, move your children to another school/creche/whatever - If you're willing to make such a post about your wife getting a fine for illegal parking, you should have researched parking etc. before putting your children into a city centre school.

I'm not sticking up for the Gardai, but at the end of the day what your wife did was illegal, regardless of how long she did it for. Let me put it into context for you; If someone had raped someone, wouldn't you like to see them punished for it? (I'm taking it you'd say 'yes') - Now, what if you caught the raper and he said "But I only stuck it in for 60 seconds" - Well, wouldn't you still think he should be punished for committing the act?

Is this the stupidest post of all time on boards?

biko

What, yours?

witnessmenow

majiktripp wrote: »

So why aren't they fining all the taxi's who park well down beyond the taxi rank outside St. Pats School every day, practically all the way down to Mill St. Garda station some nights. And most of the time there not actually moving, just parked. I'd fuc*ing love to park my car on the bridge there for a whole day so they'd have to pull out passed me and go around for a change. And yet the cops will happily enough walk passed them all and not say a goddamn word to them.

I was there on wednesday and there was a Garda talking(not chatting) to the taxi drivers who were parked on the double yellows....

I would love it if they sent loads of guards down to the taxi ranks and fined each and every single taxi driver parked illegally. Not just one or two - but more so that none get away.

The one thing I absolutely hate (and if I see happen next time I'll sure to kick their car) is when the bastards park in the middle of the bloody pedestrian crossing. I've seen it done numerous times.

KittyeeTrix

Aurelius wrote: »

Quarter past three in the day. Two young kids in the back of the car, the baby asleep.
Collecting our son from after school care. Location, A main street in Galway city.
My wife pulls her car up outside the building, slightly up on the footpath so as to not hinder any vehicles that may need to pass by.
Never more than a few meters from the car, my wife rings the doorbell, collects my son and goes back to the car.
No more than 60 seconds pass by.

A garda car driving down the street stops and informs my wife that she is parked illegally.
She apologises profusely and mentions she was picking up her son from after school car and was only there for literally 1 minute.
She heeds the warning the Guards gave her and we discuss that night how it is an major inconvenience to have to
A) find parking in a busy city centre and
take the smaller kids out of the car (especially when asleep) to walk down and collect our son, when stopping outside the building, not obstructing others mind, takes a mere minute!
Nevertheless, we are law abiding citizens so if that is what has to be done, so be it.

Therefore we were both absolutely dumbfounded when my wife received a letter in the post yesterday, with a €40 fixed charge offence for parking on a footway!
After giving the warning, the guard proceeded to take down my wife licence plate and fill out the necessary paperwork to charge her.

Seriously, a young baby asleep in the back of the car, parked out of the way so that both pedestrians and other vehicles could get by..
But the big thing for me is .. She was there for 60 seconds ... 60 seconds

As I said, we're both law abiding citizens, so there fine was paid this morning. At the end of the day what the hell can you do about it ?

So I guess people of Galway beware if you need to run in somewhere for 60 seconds there is a Garda out there ready to pounce ..
Or maybe he was having a bad day and decided to punish a young mother collecting her son from afterschool..

So what remains is to ask a question .. Has anyone else in Galway received any such fines recently ?
I drive around the city a lot, and anyone else who does also can tell you there are plenty of other parking offences happening in the city every day ..

Honest to god Aurelius, know how it feels with a gang of kids in the car tryin to collect child from school when the baby falls asleep in the back and the last thing you want to do is wake the wee doteen up, don't take what others say to heart,
As my own mother used to say to me "you'll get your own day" and by god, she was right!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
Most of them here will probably do the same thing themselves in the future that is if they haven't been successful in introducing a car free city by then, in which case they will be up s**t creek without a paddle
HaHa:D

majiktripp

witnessmenow wrote: »

I was there on wednesday and there was a Garda talking(not chatting) to the taxi drivers who were parked on the double yellows....

Might be a good sign, I won't hold my breath but at least its an indicator they're acknowledging that people think it is unacceptable behaviour... Or maybe it was totally unrelated, we can only wait and hope for some action. Sadly I believe if they did issue fines or whatever , they'd be back at it two weeks later and it would continue like nothing ever happened.

Sarky

Aurelius wrote: »

At the end of the day what the hell can you do about it ?

This is just a wild stab in the dark, but might not parking illegally in future help?

Mrs OBumble

fluffyorganic1 wrote: »

Honest to god Aurelius, know how it feels with a gang of kids in the car tryin to collect child from school when the baby falls asleep in the back and the last thing you want to do is wake the wee doteen up, don't take what others say to heart,
As my own mother used to say to me "you'll get your own day" and by god, she was right!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
Most of them here will probably do the same thing themselves in the future that is if they haven't been successful in introducing a car free city by then, in which case they will be up s**t creek without a paddle
HaHa:D

Rubbish: a baby sleeping baby is the easiest thing in the world to manage, you just park legally around the corner, unclip their car seat and carry the whole seat around to pick up the other child.

Sleeping older children are a lot harder to manage, agreed, but there is always a way. Get someone else to mind the other children while you do the pickup. Share pickup duties among parents. Arrange for the caregiver to bring your child to a legal car-park around the corner. Choose childcare where there will always be car-parks. Even - horrors! - do the pick-up on foot with the other children in a buggy. Whatever.

Planning to break the law, even just for 60 seconds, is dangerous, AND is teaching your child bad habits. Also, you cannot 100% guarantee that the pickup will always take 60 seconds or less: if the child being picked up has had some sort of problem that day, then the caregiver will need to brief you about it, this WILL take longer than 1 minute!

irisheddie85

irisheddie85 wrote: »

On the actual op question, I think they have started to crack down on parking in the past few weeks in galway.
The wardens are out after 6.30 and on sundays. never used to see this. But the enforcement is a bit dodgey as i know of 2 tickets that were given to people parked in loading bays after hours. Both delivery drivers parked outside restaurants they work in.
I have no problem paying tickets when i actually deserved them. But if the wardens are changing the rules that is not fair on anyone.

TBH did those drivers have any signs indicating that they work there? If not, how is the traffic warden supposed to know

livvy

Since becoming a parent the whole parking on the footpath so i don't disrupt the traffic but i make a mother with small children pushing a buggy go out on the main road thing a bit of a pain in the butt...... My buggy's plastic rain cover is no match for the heavy goods vehicle that is about to blow me into the middle of next week !!

spurscormac

Deleted User wrote: »

irisheddie85 wrote:

On the actual op question, I think they have started to crack down on parking in the past few weeks in galway.
The wardens are out after 6.30 and on sundays. never used to see this. But the enforcement is a bit dodgey as i know of 2 tickets that were given to people parked in loading bays after hours. Both delivery drivers parked outside restaurants they work in.
I have no problem paying tickets when i actually deserved them. But if the wardens are changing the rules that is not fair on anyone.

TBH did those drivers have any signs indicating that they work there? If not, how is the traffic warden supposed to know

Correct me if I'm wrong, but i thought you were allowed park in loading bays after hours?

Robbo

spurscormac wrote: »

Correct me if I'm wrong, but i thought you were allowed park in loading bays after hours?

Generally, yes. But it's still worth checking the sign to be sure.