asked the Minister for Local Government if he is aware of the frequent obstructions caused to pedestrian and vehicular traffic by the growing practice of owners of some car repair garages of parking the vehicles entrusted to them for repair on the public roadway and footpaths and sometimes abandoning in such places vehicles which are incapable of repair; if he is further aware of the ineffectiveness of existing laws and practices to deal with this problem particularly in urban areas; and what steps he proposes to take to prevent any further development of and to stamp out the practice.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Parking Regulations.
66.
I am aware of these problems but I do not agree that existing powers to deal with them are ineffective. The enforcement of parking restrictions is a matter for the Garda Síochána, or in certain areas, such as Dublin city during business hours, for traffic wardens under the control of the local authority. Powers were recently conferred on the Garda and on road authorities to enable them to remove, store and, if necessary, dispose of illegally parked vehicles. Similar powers were at the same time conferred on road authorities in relation to vehicles abandoned on public roads.
What is involved here is not, I think, cars illegally parked but cars which, because of their number and persistence, constitute a nuisance. This is a loophole at the moment.
This is not so. Where vehicles are abandoned in a place not covered by road traffic regulations the offenders may be prosecuted under the Local Government (Planning and Development) Act, 1963. This Act provides that the dumping of a vehicle on land constitutes a change of use and accordingly it is an offence to use such land without planning permission.
Garages carrying out repairs park cars along the roadway.
That could be a contravention of the parking law.
Where there is permission for parking there is no bye-law to cover this situation. In the Cabra area this has resulted in a number of serious traffic accidents because the road is very narrow.
In a number of these areas it is proposed to introduce double lines and prohibit parking.
CIE are offenders in this respect. They park buses on both sides of the road at night.