Phoenix Park clampdown on rogue parking to see hike in ‘fiver’ fine

Beefed-up parking enforcement is on the cards for Dublin’s Phoenix Park, with paid parking, clamping and an increase in fines from the £5 (€6.35) set in 1925, under consideration by the Office of Public Works (OPW).

The OPW has published its long-awaited draft parking strategy which is designed to strengthen its powers to stop illegal parking, particularly on footpaths and the grass, and encourage the use of sustainable transport while ensuring the needs of those with mobility issues are taken into account.

The development of a strategy to reduce parking levels and combat illegal and “unsustainable” parking was announced in July 2021 and was due to be available by the end of that year. In February 2022, while introducing a 30km/h to the park, Minister of State for the Office of Public Works (OPW) Patrick O’Donovan said the strategy would be published by the end of last year.

The minister at the time gave a strong indication parking charges could be introduced in the park. “We cannot continue to have the number of cars going into the Phoenix Park to park at the rate they are,” he said. “Everything is free, gratis and for nothing up there at the moment.”

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The parking strategy, which is now available for public consultation until May 22nd, recommends new legislation which would allow the OPW to introduce charges for parking and new enforcement powers to combat illegal parking.

“At present, there are limited enforcement practices employed in the park, largely due to restrictions brought about by the Phoenix Park Act (1925),” the strategy states. “Under the Act, the Park Superintendent is permitted to inform people when they are in breach of regulations set out within the Act. Currently, a process is in place where a notice is attached to the rear-side window of all vehicles who contravene the prescribed bylaws, for example when parked on double yellow lines, footpaths or on grass verges.”

The Act does allow penalties to be levied for contraventions of the park bylaws but these can only be applied through a court conviction and the maximum penalty allowed under the Act is £5.

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“Changes should be made to the legislation of the Phoenix Park Act to remove current limitations for enforcement and charging for parking, which largely reflect the period in which the Act was written,” the strategy states.

New legislation would allow park authorities to apply on-the-spot fines “to financially penalise drivers who park in inappropriate locations,” the strategy states. “Alternative mechanisms such as clamping or towing of vehicles could also be considered suitable. Such enforcement activities can also be tied to ensuring vehicles have paid for parking as required, should charges be introduced in the future.”

The strategy does not recommend a particular level of parking charge but says these should be assessed in the context of “the wider demand management measures to be introduced by the NTA [National Transport Authority] across Dublin”.

More than 2,200 car parking spaces are already provided in the park. The strategy does, however, consider expanding the Lord’s Walk car park at the back of Zoo from 250 spaces to up to 400 and building a new car park near the Castleknock Gate.

In the interim, before legislation is introduced, the strategy recommends installing “sensitively designed permanent infrastructure” to block access to “locations subject to frequent inappropriate parking to prevent such instances from occurring”.

The strategy is available for consultation at www.phoenixpark.ie.