New legislation, to be introduced later this year, is set to bring an end to the tyranny of rogue clampers. The new laws, introduced by Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar, will cap release fees at €100 and ensure that there is adequate signage in place in private car parks such a shopping centres, schools and hospitals.
A two-stage appeals process will also be introduced with the company responsible for the clamping required to have their own appeals process. If that proves unsatisfactory, an appeal can then be made to the National Transport Authority. Companies found to be in contravention of the new legislation could be fined up to €5,000.
Minister Varadkar said the legislation will stop the "free for all" that has existed until now: "I think we all know of instances where people have been clamped, they've been charged, in some cases, €200-€300 to have their vehicle unclamped, and actually the signage that was there warning them that clamping was in operation either wasn't good, or had been removed, or was very far away."
Anything else?
The new legislation does not bring an end to clamping as a whole. As Minister Varadkar points out: "It's not that we don't think there is room for clamping, or a place for clamping - there clearly is. It makes sense often in apartment buildings, near train stations. It makes sense sometimes in shopping areas where people leave their car there but aren't actually using the shops." He said the NTA has flexibility to treat certain areas, such as hospitals, differently.