For a number of years now both Dublin Cycling Campaign and IBike Dublin have been campaigning regularly about illegal vehicle parking in Cycle Lanes throughout the City, blocking cycling access in busy streets. Dublin City Council’s parking enforcers the company DSPS, were relied upon to police these issues among many others around the City. To say the least ,the level of enforcement of these offences was sadly lacking!

Now, in a response to Green Party Councillor Ciaran Cuffe’s call for reform of the system - http://www.ciarancuffe.com/cuffe-calls-for-reform-of-parking-enforcement… - Dublin City’s Chief Executive Owen Keegan has outlined some of the problems and issues that arose in relation to the perceived level of parking enforcement. In Mr Keegan’s letter, attached below, he outlines the large number of issues that were cited in relation to the performance of DSPS in carrying out their duties as outlined in their Conditions of Contract. Mr Keegan also accepts that the City Council were deficient in their management and monitoring of the Contract, and as a result has promised to reinstate the role of Parking Enforcement Officer in the City Council, and will also appoint a support Inspector of Parking. The Council will also set out new clearer Terms of Contract for the Parking Enforcement Contract - see details in attached CEO Letter.

These developments are to be welcomed, and will hopefully result in a more transparent and efficient operation of parking enforcement in the City. But, when we understand that DSPS, the City’s present parking enforcers, as elicited by Ciaran Ferrie of IBike Dublin, is in the same Tazbell business group as ParkRite, the owners of a number of City Centre car parks, we will be watching their performance even more closely!

So, we are asking you, our supporters, to continue to monitor illegal parking in cycle lanes via #freethecyclelanes, as originally posted on this website in 2015 - https://www.dublincycling.com/cycling/illegal-parking-cycle-lanes-freeth… - and let us know how well DSPS or any future parking enforcers are doing their job!

Thanx once again to the ongoing work of Councillor Cuffe on this and many other cycling and transport related issues in the City.