Revealed: Top five blackspots for illegal parking in Cork City

CORK city's main thoroughfare remains the city's top illegal parking blackspot with a total of 3,445 Fixed Charge Penalty Notices (FCPNs) issued by Cork City Council over a 12-month period. 

Recent figures provided by the local authority show that 48,025 parking fines were issued to motorists whose vehicles were parked illegally in the city between November 2021 and October 2022.

It compares with 29,796 parking fines issued by the council between November 2020 and October 2021. 

Over the most recent 12-month period, Patrick Street was the top location in the city for catching offenders, followed by South Mall where 1,923 fines were issued and Cornmarket Street where 1,203 fines were issued. 

Meanwhile, Grand Parade ranked in fourth spot (1,176 fines) followed by Father Mathew Quay (954 fines). 

The top five blackspots for illegal parking over the period November 2020 to October 2021 were Patrick Street, South Mall, Connaught Avenue off Donovan's Road, Cornmarket Street and Father Mathew Quay. 

The top five reasons people received fines between November 2021 and October 2022 were for failing to display a valid disc (12,580), no current licence disc displayed (7,445), parking where there was a no parking sign (4,828), parking in a loading bay (4,650), parking on double yellow Lines (2,240) and parking on or obstructing a cycle track (43). 

In February of this year, new regulations doubling the penalty for motorists caught parking on footpaths, cycle lanes and bus lanes came into effect.

The new regulations, which were signed into law by Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan, doubled from €40 to €80 the fixed charge penalty for motorists caught parking on footpaths, cycle lanes and bus lanes.

Speaking at the time, Mr Ryan said he hoped the increased penalties would help improve the safety of all vulnerable road and footpath users by creating a more effective deterrent to the specific forms of illegal parking.