Gardaí: Drivers, on your bike!

An email has been circulated to every member of the gardaí in Cork in an urgent effort to crack down on illegal parking in cycle lanes.

It is understood an email has been sent to all Cork force members by its traffic division following increased complaints in recent months about cars parking in bus and cycle lanes, and in particular in busy cycle corridors such as Bishop Street, South Main Street and Washington Street.

Raising the issue at a recent South Central Community Forum, Community Garda Peter O’Riordan confirmed he had received the email sent to all gardaí warning that increased attention to such offences was needed, as well as on cyclists using cycle lanes incorrectly.

“This is something that is very relevant at the moment and that various groups and individuals have been lobbying on recently. From our point of view, a cycle lane is a cycle lane, and we will be enforcing that going forward,” he stressed, adding that offenders were subject to on-the-spot fines.

The news of renewed garda efforts comes as Green Party Cllr Dan Boyle earlier this week called for a return of towing in a bid to tackle the issue.
Cllr Boyle called for the return of the controversial practice, which has not been used since 2012 due its lack of popularity with businesses and members of the public, as a realistic measure to tackle offenders in Cork.
Cllr Boyle posted a photo on social media of a car parked in a cycle lane on Pope’s Quay on Sunday, saying: “There should never be parking tolerated here. Cork city should re-introduce towing of vehicles on bus lanes, cycle lanes and disabled parking spots.”
He added that it was a proposal which might upset people, but that he would be open to hearing what better approaches existed.
A spokesperson for City Council told the Cork Independent that a total of 120 fines were issued by the parking enforcement team in 2018 for parking a vehicle in a bus/cycle track. It said 123 fines were issued in 2017 for the same offence.
Garda O’Riordan also told the forum that there had been issues with a lack of taxi ranks in the city.