Calls for clamping to be banned across district
A sign warning of clamping
Council officials will check if they have the power to pass a bye-law prohibiting clamping in Bray.
In a notice of motion, Cllr Joe Behan had asked the council to resolve to ban clamping of cars in any car park open to the public in the Bray Municipal District.
The response on the evening of the meeting is that the council does not have the statutory authority to ban clamping of cars on private property.
'I expected that answer and fair enough,' said Cllr Behan.
'I have been approached by elderly people who have been subjected to clamping in a car park at the civic centre,' he said.
'They are met with this person who has a credit card machine stuck in front of them and told to pay up.
They are effectively told to get up to the cash machine to take out money. The effect can be devastating,' said Cllr Behan.
'They are privately owned property but public car parks,' he said.
'We should take an interest. In the view of some people, clampers are parked waiting to pounce as soon as someone goes over the time on their ticket, and they show no mercy.'
He said that older residents could be attending the health centre and held up with their appointments.
'We need to do something about this,' he said. 'Can we pass bye-laws to prohibit clamping?'
The district engineer Liam Bourke said that he will check with the law agent.
