Revealed: Four complaints over inappropriate parking in Carlow last year

As part of their recent 'Clear Our Paths' campaign, NCBI gathered data which shows that just eighty-two dog fouling fines were handed out by local councils over the course of 2022.

Eighteen counties issued zero dog fouling fines over the course of last year, including Carlow.

Dog fouling is a huge issue for people who are blind or vision impaired who use our footpaths daily.

It is the third most frequent unexpected obstacle encountered by people with sight loss, according to a recent NCBI survey.

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.

The survey noted that the number one obstacle faced by respondents is cars parked on footpaths.

Over 19,000 fines were handed out in 2022 for issues around street and inappropriate parking.

Carlow County Council received four complaints in 2022 about inappropriate parking. However, as the cars moved, zero fines were handed out.

Parking inappropriately, particularly 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.

Aaron Mullaniff, Chief Services Officer with NCBI said: “This new data we have gathered is a means to explain to the public the dangers of dog fouling on footpaths and the dangers of cars parked on footpaths. Firstly, the dog fouling data shows that councils can’t be expected to police the issue alone. It’s impractical to think that wardens could observe every single dog owner who doesn’t clean up after their dog and then issue them with a fine. There needs to be significant effort from the public to clean up after their pets in the first instance. It’s imperative that we all work to make our footpaths usable for all members in our communities.

“Secondly, if councils have noted over 19,000 incidents of inappropriate parking by way of a fine, can you imagine how many undetected instances there are that will pose a real risk to those living with sight loss? We’re asking everyone in Ireland to put yourself in a blind or vision impaired person’s shoes when you’re walking your pets, parking your car, putting out your bins or whatever it might be, and to act in a way that’s considerate to those people’s needs.”