The Green Party in Cork have welcomed the increase in fines for motorists parking on footpaths, cycle lanes and bus lanes.
Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan, today signed regulations doubling the fixed charge penalty for motorists caught parking on footpaths, cycle tracks and bus lanes from €40 to €80. The new €80 penalties will come into effect on 1 February.
Welcoming the changes, Green Party councillor for Cork City North East, Oliver Moran, said:
"Since being elected, and even before then, myself and my colleagues have been campaigning to have the penalty for motorists blocking other road users like this to be increased. This isn't simply a matter of over-staying in legal parking bay, it selfishly takes road spaces from other road users, often the most vulnerable.
"I've seen children having to step out into traffic to get around parked cars on footpaths. Or a hundred people on a bus being held up by one person who left a car in a bus lane. Or cyclists having to merge in quickly with fast moving traffic to avoid a van parked on a cycle lane.
"In 2018, the fine for parking in a disabled bay increased from €80 to €150. It's good to see blockers being called out now as being different to people who simply overstay in a legal parking bay. It's been normalised for too long. It needs to be made clear that it isn't acceptable and enforcement from the city must now follow."
Minister Eamon Ryan said: "I'm very pleased to announce these increased penalties which will both promote active travel and encourage a more considerate use of road space. Parking on footpaths puts vulnerable pedestrians, such as wheelchair users and those pushing buggies, at significant risk by forcing them off the footpath and into traffic. Parking in bus and cycle lanes endangers cyclists and undermines State investment in sustainable public transport infrastructure. These increases should help improve the safety of all vulnerable road and footpath users, by creating a more effective deterrent to these specific forms of illegal parking."