Illegal parking in Louth disabled bays soars as ‘drivers know they can get away with it’
Calls have gone out to Louth County Council to introduce a dedicated text alert or helpline to report illegal parking in disabled spaces, amid growing concerns about widespread misuse across the county.
Speaking at the latest meeting of Louth County Council, Cllr. Maeve Yore said the system would empower the public to quickly report incidents of misuse in parking bays designated for people with disabilities.
Cllr. Yore tabled a motion seeking the introduction of a phone-based reporting system that would immediately alert traffic wardens countywide, allowing them to issue warnings or fines and clamp down on repeat offenders.
In a written response, Bernie Woods, Director of Services, said members of the public can already report illegal parking by contacting the council’s Customer Services team.
“Customer services will then refer the matter directly to the traffic section, who can arrange for a traffic warden to investigate and take appropriate action,” she said.
She added that the council is examining the potential to include reporting functions in its new Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system as part of a future public rollout.
However, Cllr. Yore said she “didn’t accept” the first part of the response, arguing it reflected an “if there’s a will, there’s a way” approach rather than a committed solution.
She told members that the Disabled Drivers Association has been urging city and county councils nationwide to introduce text alert systems and expressed frustration at the lack of progress locally.
Cllr. Yore said she had raised the issue “six or seven years ago”, noting that similar systems were already in place in other counties while Louth had seen “no progress”.
She said the current system allows motorists who illegally park in disabled bays to temporarily use the space “and leave before they are caught”.
“There is consistent abuse of disabled bays,” she said, highlighting multiple locations in Dundalk town centre where infringements occur frequently.
“I just want Louth County Council to be pro-active for a change. I know we have done a lot, but a text alert system would provide an immediate tool to tackle what is an escalating problem.”
Cllr. Bernie Conlon seconded the motion.
Cllr. Ciaran Fisher also voiced support, saying offenders currently “know they can get away with it”.
Cllr. Pio Smith said illegal use of disabled bays was a common issue on West Street in Drogheda, adding that delivery drivers for takeaway services “often just park their car up in disabled bays.”
“Anything that can be done to speed up the response to address this issue is welcome,” he said.
Cllr. Declan Power said the problem occurred “day in and day out across Louth”, noting that some drivers park partially in disabled spaces even if they do not fully occupy them.
Cllr. Rachel Kerley suggested a system allowing members of the public to report licence plates of offending vehicles.
Cllr. Marianne Butler highlighted the lengthy process people must go through to obtain a disabled parking badge and cautioned that “not all disabilities are obvious”. She reminded the public that drivers or passengers may have additional needs or a “hidden disability”.
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