Council get tough on illegal parkers.

wmpdd3

Some driver in Waterford owe €10,000 in parking fines!!


From Waterford Today:

Council Gets Tough With Persistent Offenders

From Monday, February 28th, a small number of motorists who park illegally within Waterford City run the serious risk of having their vehicles towed away by the City Council. The vast majority of motorists, however, need have no concerns that such an event will befall them, as the Council's new tow-away policy will apply only to those motorists who owe the Council large sums in unpaid parking fines. The latter motorists have ignored all requests by the Council to pay these outstanding fines and have also, to date, frustrated all attempts to bring them to court for non-payment. In a number of cases, parking fines in excess of € 10,000, per motorist, are outstanding. In addition, the very same motorists continue to park illegally on a regular basis throughout the City, and seem to be of the view that the parking laws which apply to all other road users, simply don't apply to them.

In response, the City Council has decided that it cannot allow such flagrant abuses of parking bye-laws to continue, hence the introduction of this new tow-away measure, targeted exclusively at this specific group. The City Council has, therefore, recently written to each of the latter group, informing them of the new tow-away policy and advising them to contact the Council's offices should they discover, in the near future, that their vehicle is missing from its previous parked location.

The retrieval fee will be €160 if the vehicle is collected on the day of its removal, and there will be a subsequent daily storage fee of €35 where applicable.

The City Council has emphasised that the tow-away measure will not be used in respect of the ordinary motorist who may be parked illegally..

rayc

Hmmm so someone who owes 10,000 in parking fines only has to pay €160 to get their car back? Would they not stipulate that they had to pay outstanding fines to get the car back (even if realistically that meant a re-negotiation of the amount owed)?

gscully

I assume they had their hazard lights on?

wmpdd3

If someone owes that amount, I doubt they have tax etc they'd probably just leave their car there...... thus costing the council to dispose of it!

Seriously thought 10,000 / 60= 166 fines. Do they multiply if you don't pay.

It would pay you to buy a €1000 car and park illegally for 3 years and then just give it to the council when they tow you.

Just for example if some one is parked in the little street at he back of the old Art part of WIT near castle st, they wouldn't be able to get the truck in to tow it!

Lord Derpington

Wonder what would happen if you were to buy a car of one of these motorists that owe large fines, would the fines be passed on to the new owner?

wmpdd3

Always print out the change of ownership sheet and get the new/old owner to sign and date it when buying / selling a car.

seanybiker

Nice One. Although they should be made pay their outstanding fines before getting the car back.

Hoffmans

alleged fines , unless the drivers have some mutual agreement / contract for parking with the city bigwigs they literally owe nothing.....

sarah88

If you owe a fine to the council and don't pay it, and they don't bring you to court within six months they are forced to quash it. Was told this by the council office. I'd assume the people in question here are getting away with good number of these fines!

comeraghs

Thursday, February 24, 2011 Waterford News & Star

Clampers put manners on 8 motorists owing €100,000
By Marion O’Mara

CAR clampers will be on the streets of the city from Monday morning next as a purge gets underway on eight motorists who between them owe the City Council over €100,000 in unpaid parking fines.
For a number of years the same eight motorists have been parking at will around the city, ignoring parking tickets and refusing to accept summonses delivered by both ordinary and registered mail to their homes.
One of the car owners owes in the region of €15,000 and another has an outstanding bill of over €10,000. The remaining money is spread among the remaining six law-breakers.
In the past week the City Council has written to the five men and three women warning them that their vehicles will be targeted from Monday morning next and if they are found without a valid parking ticket displayed they will be towed away.
The retrieval fee will be €160 if the vehicle is collected on the day of its removal and there will be a subsequent daily storage fee of €35 where applicable.
Jim Hickey, Senior Executive Engineer, Corporate Affairs & Transportation with the City Council, said that ordinary motorists and even those who have run out of time on their ticket have nothing to fear from the private clamping company.
“We are targeting just eight people and we have warned them to pay up like everyone else or have their vehicles removed from the streets,” he said.
Jim Hickey added, the small group “have ignored all requests by the Council to pay their fines and have also, to date, frustrated all attempts to bring them to court for non-payment”.
Fighting back, the City Council is determined it will not allow flagrant abuses of parking bye-laws to continue and that is why they are introducing the new tow-away measure which is targeted exclusively at the group of eight.
In addition to the fees outstanding the City Council is at the loss of the cost involved in issuing the ticket in the first instance, the administration and the preparation of documents in the event of a court case.
When a parking ticket is issued a motorist must pay a fine of €40 in respect of a parking offence and for no tax displayed the fine is €60. They have 28-days to pay and after that period the parking fine increases to €60.
It could take months before a driver is taken to court for non payment but even then when a summons is issued the fine can be paid in order to prevent a conviction by the court.
Where a conviction is made in court and a fine is imposed the penalty for non payment can be jail

comeraghs

Surely there should be a system where these peoples cars/hiace vans can be confiscated & sold off & the money owed can be taken from their social welfare / wages.

Deisekickboxing

comeraghs wrote: »

Surely there should be a system where these peoples cars/hiace vans can be confiscated & sold off & the money owed can be taken from their social welfare / wages.

I don't think qe,ve

Deisekickboxing

comeraghs wrote: »

Surely there should be a system where these peoples cars/hiace vans can be confiscated & sold off & the money owed can be taken from their social welfare / wages.

I don't think we've entered communism yet unless there's something you know that prompted that ridiculous. Post

comeraghs

owing 15k or 10k in parking fines & having no intention of paying them prompted my post! & I don't think it's redicilous!

newportwex

sarah88 wrote: »

If you owe a fine to the council and don't pay it, and they don't bring you to court within six months they are forced to quash it. Was told this by the council office. I'd assume the people in question here are getting away with good number of these fines!

This is true, I owed just over €4000 there at one stage, but due to a mix up with my address the process of taking me to court took over a year and had to be dropped.

So I still don't pay for parking, ever.

rayc

here troll-y troll-y.....

Professey Chin

newportwex wrote: »

This is true, I owed just over €4000 there at one stage, but due to a mix up with my address the process of taking me to court took over a year and had to be dropped.

So I still don't pay for parking, ever.

Ah who opened the under bridge door again

dudara

What is the story with these 8 people? Why do they feel that they don't have to pay for parking?

wellboytoo

newportwex wrote: »

This is true, I owed just over €4000 there at one stage, but due to a mix up with my address the process of taking me to court took over a year and had to be dropped.

So I still don't pay for parking, ever.

Better not leave your laptop in your car then bucko , or it will be crushed with your car.

newportwex

wellboytoo wrote: »

Better not leave your laptop in your car then bucko , or it will be crushed with your car.

Haha not a hope bucko, this is all hot air from the council, they're all talk no action. Don't be jealous just cos i've the guts to beat the system...

wellboytoo

newportwex wrote: »

Haha not a hope bucko, this is all hot air from the council, they're all talk no action. Don't be jealous just cos i've the guts to beat the system...

Lol I have a bmx I don't fit anymore, it is free and will fit with your age group, twelve I was when I used it. The handle bars are real low too, so your long arms will be perfect.

newportwex

wellboytoo wrote: »

Lol I have a bmx I don't fit anymore, it is free and will fit with your age group, twelve I was when I used it. The handle bars are real low too, so your long arms will be perfect.

Listen I don't come on here to have arguments so we'll agree to disagree bro. The personal insults are a bit much though and I'd like an apology.

When I get that we'll have no beef, no beef at all.

Adyx

newportwex wrote: »

Haha not a hope bucko, this is all hot air from the council, they're all talk no action. Don't be jealous just cos i've the guts to beat the system...

Yeah, don't hate the player....

:rolleyes:

newportwex

Adyx wrote: »

Yeah, don't hate the player....

:rolleyes:

Exactly, glad i have one supporter anyway.

Victor

sarah88 wrote: »

If you owe a fine to the council and don't pay it, and they don't bring you to court within six months they are forced to quash it. Was told this by the council office. I'd assume the people in question here are getting away with good number of these fines!

No, there merely have to apply tot he court for a summons within 6 months - Patty Sessions Act.

Hoffmans

newportwex wrote: »

This is true, I owed just over €4000 there at one stage, but due to a mix up with my address the process of taking me to court took over a year and had to be dropped.

So I still don't pay for parking, ever.

admitting you owe that amount is quiet dumb unless theres a valid reason why you dont owe it and to whom.......

newportwex

Hoffmans wrote: »

admitting you owe that amount is quiet dumb unless theres a valid reason why you dont owe it and to whom.......

But my identity is hidden on here so what harm is there?

Do you pay for parking yourself?

Adyx

newportwex wrote: »

Exactly, glad i have one supporter anyway.

Whoosh..........

They really need to make a sarcasm smiley.

Hoffmans

there is its but you have a new friend so cheer up:rolleyes:

i choose to throw a few cent in the metres but if i chose not to it wouldnt bother me....;)

CantGetNoSleep

Pretty sure these people come from either out the Cork road, or more likely, live in those apartments around the end of O'Connell street / the Glen area

ziedth

newportwex wrote: »

But my identity is hidden on here so what harm is there?

Do you pay for parking yourself?

Just said I'd point this put to you from the general conduct charter that you agreed too:

You are not anonymous.

This is the greatest myth of the internet. Unless you are fairly technically skilled and go to some lengths, you are by no means anonymous on the internet. If you do something illegal and the police approach us with the correct documentation (usually a court order) we will hand them everything we know about you (as we are required to do under Irish Law). This is not a platform for anonymous defamation. YOU are responsible for what YOU say.


I'd be a little more careful about what you brag about.