30,000 clamped or towed away

Dublin's clampers have punished errant motorists more than 30,000 times this year, according to Dublin Corporation figures.

Some 25,000 clamps were placed on vehicles in 1999 and another 7,000 were towed away, according to the corporation's parking enforcement officer.

Mr Neil Cunningham says revenue from parking meters has increased dramatically this year as a result of clamping. The income from meters has more than doubled from £3.5 million in 1998 to £8.25 million this year.

Dublin Corporation spent £3.5 million on clamping in 1999. The operator of the scheme, Central Parking System Ireland, was paid £3 million. The salaries of Dublin Corporation officials administering the scheme and other associated overheads cost another £500,000.

The £65 charged for each car clamped and the £130 fee to recover a car which has been towed away added up to about £2.5 million in revenue.

Mr Cunningham said proposals would be put forward to extend clamping to Sundays during peak times in prime shopping locations. Traders would be consulted about the proposal, and many had already complained that there was a poor turnover of on-street carparking spaces on Sundays.

He said all the additional revenue from parking meters had been earmarked for additional traffic management measures which would benefit both motorists and pedestrians.

Mr Cunningham said clamping had ensured that motorists had better access to on-street parking. "There was very little turnover in on-street spaces before the clamping began." He said he hoped motorists would be able to use a card similar to a telephone card in parking meters by the middle of next year.