Viewpoint: Where are the illegal parking penalties?

It would be interesting to know how many fixed penalty notices have been issued in Kilcullen since the fines for parking on footpaths doubled at the beginning of February, writes Brian Byrne.

Penalties can be issued by the Gardai and by the Kildare County Council Traffic Warden, and now stand at €80 per offence.

Over the years of the Diary, since 2005, we have from time to time highlighted obstruction of footpaths by cars, thoughtlessly, carelessly, or 'simply don't care' left there by their owners. Such actions often make things difficult, even downright unsafe, for pedestrians, people with disabilities, cyclists, and other motorists.

Such highlighting hasn't made much difference. The only thing that will is some semblance of regular enforcement.

There are a number of specifically difficult points in town in this regard. Our photographs above have been sent in by one reader who regularly walks through downtown Kilcullen and show that the pinch point at Fallons is a key one.

In the Market Square and Kilcullen Public Realm plans currently under public consultation, this will be eliminated by changes to the footpath width and reductions of designated parking spaces. But it will be at least another year, maybe more, before that work gets under way.

In the meantime, pedestrians, mothers pushing buggies, users of wheelchairs, are too often being forced to walk out on the road at one of the most dangerous of Kilcullen's traffic points. Because some people parking their cars illegally simply don't care.

They don't care because they know they are most unlikely to be penalised.

And that's not good enough. Let's see something serious in this regard. Over to you, Gardai and the Council.

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