'An enormous number': Close to 50,000 parking fines issued in Cork city last year 

ALMOST 50,000 parking fines were issued by Cork City Council in 2022, along with almost 1,000 litter fines, The Echo can reveal.

Information obtained under the Freedom of Information Act shows that the city council issued 49,956 fixed charge penalty notices for parking in 2022, and 942 for litter.

Speaking to The Echo, Independent city councillor and former lord mayor of Cork city Cllr Mick Finn said the number of parking fines seems “enormous to me and suggests there may be issues with the current policy”.

“However, it also reflects the business of a larger city area and the inclusion of new areas with large populations.

“It’s also something of a double-edged sword in that it swells the coffers of the council to fund other things,” he said. 

“The employing of additional traffic wardens has obviously contributed to more detections, and it makes me wonder what the situation would be like regarding dog fouling and planning breaches if we had a similar enforcement regime.”

However, Mr Finn admitted he was surprised not to see more litter fines handed out in 2022.

“On the other hand, I would suggest the issuing of almost 950 litter fines is probably on the lower end of the scale, given the size of the city and the amount of littering and dumping that is evident across the city,” he said.

“But the burdens of proof are higher in this instance and littering can be difficult to nail down and bring to the fine stage,” he added.

A spokesperson for Cork City Council revealed that, in 2021, the local authority issued 31,859 parking tickets, with 49,956 tickets issued in 2022.

“The difference between the two years’ figures would be primarily as a result of continued increase in traffic and parking activities as pandemic restrictions eased throughout 2021 into 2022,” the spokesperson explained.

“Cork City Council has a very strong parking management regime in place, with traffic wardens deployed across the city to ensure the safe and legal parking of vehicles.”

In relation to litter, the spokesperson said: “As with all instances of littering, personal responsibility must play a key part in tackling this type of anti-social behaviour.”