Dublin vehicles 'relocated' no longer impounded

The number of vehicles impounded by clamping contractors in Dublin city fell by more than 90 per cent last year, to just 280, as part of a new policy by the city council.

Dublin Street Parking Services (DSPS) has been instructed to "make better use of specialised vehicle lifting equipment by reducing the amount of time spent towing cars to the pound", according to the 2005 report of the council's parking appeals officer Liam Keilthy. In 2002 more than 4,740 vehicles were removed to the pound.

As part of the new policy, the number of vehicles relocated rather than taken to the pound rose by 25 per cent to 6,388 last year compared with 2004.

The DSPS uses lifting equipment to relocate vehicles to an adjacent street where they will not cause an obstruction.

This costs the same as being clamped, €80. A removal costs a flat fee of €160 plus a €35 daily charge.

Overall, 44,011 vehicles were clamped in Dublin last year, a fall of 5 per cent compared with 2004 and 28 per cent lower than the 60,855 vehicles clamped in 2003.

The report also shows a sharp fall in the number of claims of unfair clamping being upheld. More than 1,730 appeals were made to DSPS last year - 40 of which queried the reason for removing a vehicle - and only 12 per cent were upheld.

Last year the number of appeals dropped by 17 per cent compared with 2004 and the number of cases referred to the city council for adjudication dropped by 26 per cent.

The council receives approximately €3.7 million a year in clamping and other parking enforcement fees, but its contract with DSPS is estimated at around €8 million per annum.