Galway’s new parking by-laws highlight clamping powers the council won’t enforce
Parking by-laws for Galway City have been updated for the first time since 2009, as the council moves to address ongoing confusion amid out-of-service parking meters and expected price increases.
The revised by-laws follow a period of public consultation in which five submissions were made, including one from An Garda Síochána. The Chief Executive’s response to three of those submissions recommended no changes relating to camper vans in the Claddagh, operational hours, and the “opportunity loss” arising from paid parking in the city.
Director of Services Patrick Greene outlined the changes at a city meeting this month. The by-laws introduce modern definitions for parking payments, electric vehicles, and EV charging stations, along with clearer references to current payment options across the city.
Electric vehicles are not under pay-and-display obligation at Galway City council managed parking bays.
The updated rules confirm that “operational hours” for paid parking will remain 8.30am to 6.30pm, unless otherwise stated on ticket machines or road signage. Parking enforcement continues to rely on a 12-member warden team, which begins daily rounds at 8.30am.
Councillors questioned how parking abuses outside these hours could be addressed. Mr Greene said staffing had increased from just seven wardens in 2021, but extending monitoring hours would raise issues around employment law and budget limits due to overtime for the wardens.
Alternatively, clamping remains referenced throughout the revised by-laws, including a provision for clamping when a “parking ticket has expired by over 30 minutes and not exceeding 1 hour.”
However, Cllr Frank Fahy pointed to a 2006 motion that, he said, ended clamping in public parking areas and pay-and-display zones. He queried why clamping appears in the updated by-laws if the council no longer engages in the practice.
Senior management responded that the clauses were retained as a preventative measure if needed in future, remarking, “just because they are in the by-laws doesn’t mean we are going to enforce them.”
Mr Greene added that removing them would make any future reinstatement more cumbersome: “If we take out those by-laws then we will have to do this all over again to bring it back, rather than keeping it in and pulling it up where applicable.”
With the new by-laws approved, councillors expanded the discussion beyond paid parking to issues such as overnight camper vans, promotional vehicles along the Salthill Prom, and persistent infringements in residential areas.
Mayor Cllr Mike Cubbard highlighted problems in the Claddagh, Shantalla and Bohermore, saying there is an “absolute ignorance shown for residents” as cars block driveways and footpaths “with no regard to residential areas.”
He called on management to return with a residential parking plan to address escalating tensions in neighbourhoods across the city.