Commuters parking their cars in Cork, Dublin and Galway Irish Rail car parks are most clamped, new figures have revealed.
Figures released by Irish Rail to Labour TD Sean Sherlock show that 144 people have been clamped at Irish Rail stations so far this year, resulting in revenue of €17,280.
In 2022, 2,540 cars were clamped, earning revenue of €192,960.
READ MORE: Ireland ‘Beast from the East’ update as maps show exact moment brutal cold snap engulfs country
Since 2018, Irish Rail has earned €1.66m from clamping cars at train stations.
Deputy Sherlock told the Irish Mirror that Irish Rail must change clamping rules so that people do not have to pay on the spot to get the clamp taken off their car.
Figures for 2022 show that some 608 cars were clamped in Kent Train Station in Cork, resulting in revenue of €55,800.
Some 312 motorists were clamped at Dublin’s Heuston Train Station (revenue of €23,640) followed by 247 in Galway’s Ceannt Station (revenue of €18,960), 149 in Sallins Train Station in Kildare (revenue of €13,560) and 98 in Carlow Train Station (revenue of €3,600). Just eight Dublin DART stations appeared on the list of stations where cars had been clamped. DART users leaving their cars in Booterstown station in south Dublin were most likely to be clamped, with 39 drivers punished.
Up to February 18 2023, some 144 cars were clamped. One third of these clampings took place in Cork’s Kent Train Station (46).
Some 19 cars were clamped at Galway’s Ceannt Train Station, while 11 cars were clamped at Carlow Train Station.
Deputy Sherlock told the Irish Mirror that there needs to be “consistency” with clamping across all Irish Rail sites.
The Cork East TD also argued that during a cost of living crisis, people should not have to pay on the spot to get their car unclamped.
He said: “It would be preferable to see a removal of the clamping process given the immediate need for payment, which is heightened in a cost of living crisis, and the potential public safety matter where an individual arrives back to a car in a train station at night to it clamped, appeal or no appeal.
“The visceral impact of a car being clamped is not pleasant and commuters have told me in the past of the upset it causes.
“More engagement through an enforcement policy without clamping should be considered."
A spokesman for Irish Rail told the Irish Mirror: "Car parking is an additional facility for those customers who drive to our station, and the modest charges applied are an important source of revenue.
"There needs to be an effective deterrent to non-payment of parking charges or illegal parking, and clamping is the most effective deterrent there is, which is in place across the station network. For the overwhelming majority who park and pay correctly, there is no issue. Where clamping occurs, upon payment our car parking contractor responds to remove clamps at all times, including after last train services at night. "
READ NEXT:
Irish Tesco shoppers warned popular product may be ‘unsafe’ to eat
Gardai probing alleged knife murder get more time to quiz suspect
Brooke Scullion fined €300 after pet cat 'wrecked' Dublin apartment
Stepdad of missing Amy Fitzpatrick appears in court over alleged assault
David Beckham and son Cruz, 18, hit the pub again as they sink pints in Dublin
Get breaking news to your inbox by signing up to our newsletter
