Almost 2,000 people were clamped in the streets around Dublin’s Mater Hospital in just three years.
And they paid out more than €165,000 to get their cars released.
Figures obtained and analsyed by this newspaper show enforcement agents put a yellow wheel lock on 1,921 cars on 22 streets directly around the Mater Hospital since January 1, 2019.
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Residents who live in the area are given parking permits which suggests a high proportion of those clamped were either visiting a sick relative, working in the hospital, or attending an outpatient appointment.
Hourly parking fees around the Mater Hospital vary depending on the street but range from €1.80 to €3.50.
Motorists can either use ticket machines that are scattered around or pay through a website.
The most common street to be clamped on was Eccles Street where 675 motorists saw
the dreaded yellow wheel lock since January 1, 2019. The clamp release fee was increased from €80 to €125 on March 1 of this year.
This means punters paid Dublin Street Parking Services, which clamps cars on behalf of Dublin City Council, €129,360 between January 1, 2019, and February 28, 2022.
And hard-pressed drivers forked out €38,000 between March 1 and July 31 this year – which is €167,360 in total over the last three years.
The data, which was released to the Irish Mirror under the Freedom of Information Act, for 2021 and 2022 only listed 19 streets – so the total figure is likely to be even higher.
In addition, documents also show that 14 people received parking fines since 2021.
Dublin City Council told us the penalty is €40 and if that isn’t paid in 28 days it raises by 50%.
The Mater Hospital does have a car park located on Eccles Street which is operated by Euro Car Parks and costs €3.20 per hour or €15 a day.
It comes as Sinn Fein’s health spokesperson David Cullinane said he wants hospital car parking charges to be phased out over the next couple of years and said they place an additional burden on the families of sick relatives.
He told The Irish Mirror: “There are obviously knock-on consequences for high car parking charges including people trying to park close to hospitals and then getting clamped or fined if they go over the time.
“People could be in an appointment that could go on a bit longer and the only have an hour or two on the meter and when they come out they are fined or even worse they’ve been clamped.
“There needs to be a broader plan put in place by the Department [of Health] over a reasonable time period to move to free car parking in hospitals which is what we in Sinn Fein want to see.”
The Sinn Fein TD also said it wasn’t fair on traffic wardens to have to adopt a “subjective approach” to on-street parking around hospitals and said rules should be followed.
A spokesperson for the Mater Hospital said: “This is not an issue which the Mater has any control or jurisdiction over, so therefore it is not appropriate that the hospital comments on it.”
Dublin City Council and Dublin Street Parking Services did not respond to requests for comment.
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