94 fines for parking on footpaths in Tullamore and Birr

THERE were 94 fines handed out to people for parking inappropriately in Offaly in 2022. 88 of those were in Tullamore and 6 were in Birr.

However, there were zero fines in Birr for dog fouling while the figure for Tullamore is not available. 

The data was gathered by NCBI (National Council for the Blind of Ireland) as part of its 'Clear Our Paths' campaign. The figures show that just 82 dog fouling fines were handed out by local councils across Ireland over the course of 2022.

A statement from NCBI said: ''Dog fouling is a huge issue for people who are blind or vision impaired who use our footpaths daily. A recent NCBI survey showed that it was the third most frequent unexpected obstacle encountered by respondents. Not only can dog fouling cause a slip hazard, but it can also be distressing for white cane users whose canes are often dirtied by faeces.

Cars parked on footpaths emerged as the number one obstacle faced by respondents to our survey. NCBI recently learned that over 19,000 fines were handed out in 2022 for issues around street and inappropriate parking. Three councils reported that they had not handed out any fines, while Mayo County Council said there were no fines handed out in the Claremorris/Swinford area. Roscommon County Council said there are no traffic wardens in the county.''

Parking inappropriately, especially on footpaths, causes a serious hazard for people who are blind or vision impaired. If a footpath is blocked, people with sight loss may be injured by walking into traffic to get around a vehicle, injured walking into the vehicle, or injured by stepping off kerbs in unfamiliar locations.

NCBI says it recognises councils’ efforts and challenges to support clear paths in their communities and some councils provided information about positive steps they have taken to curb the dangers posed by dog fouling in particular.

Laois County Council confirmed that it had given out 96 mutt mitt dispensers to Tidy Towns groups around the county.
Tipperary County Council said it ran an anti-dog fouling stencil campaign in two municipal districts with messaging around cleaning up after a dog and about fines.
Wexford County Council said it, among other things, had provided free pooper scoopers and bins in towns, villages and at blue flag beaches.
Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown Council said it runs a Green Dog Walkers programme to encourage all dog walkers to pick up after their pets.

People are being encouraged to clean up after their dogs and to remember that not everyone has sight. In addition they are renewing their call to motorists not to park on footpaths.