Dublin's clamping contract has changed hands, but motorists can expect nochange in the city's tough line on clamping and car removal. Kieran Fagan reports from the front line.
There will be no easing of the tough line on clamping and removing cars illegally parked in Dublin city centre when Park Rite takes over the enforcement contract from Control Plus next Monday for five years.
"Control Plus lost the contract because Park Rite won it as part of the normal tendering process," said Paul McCarthy of Dublin City Council's traffic division. "That's how tendering works. It doesn't mean that Control Plus, which started clamping in Dublin in 1998, was doing a bad job. It was doing what we asked it to do, enforcing the Road Traffic Act."
The new contractor will have to implement the same policy of keeping the streets clear, and allowing traffic, particularly public transport, to get through, said McCarthy. "Nobody likes being clamped but it works. So nobody should expect any change under the new regime."
Some councillors are claiming a victory for the hard-pressed motorist in punishing Control Plus for "gung ho, clamp and be damned" tactics. Cllr Lucinda Creighton (FG) described the change as an opportunity for a new beginning.
Not so, said McCarthy: "In fact, the level of complaint has been quite low. Remember Control Plus was clamping something over 1,000 cars a week on the streets of Dublin. That comes out at 60,000 a year and about 2,300 were the subject of representations.
"Of these only five per cent were about the behaviour or attitude of the crews. Some of the criticism of Control Plus seems to me to have been unduly harsh. You must remember with clamping and towing away and parking enforcement measures generally, you are not dealing with willing customers. And this won't be any different for the new contractor."
Control Plus has come under sustained criticism, particularly for its operations in Galway, where clamping of doctors' cars on duty became an issue. Resistance to clamping comes also from inner city residents, torn between having residential streets used by commuters as car parks, and not having access for family and friends to visit.
According to Dublin City Council, Park Rite's additional staff training and retraining, as well as extra staff and new vehicles won the day, despite Control Plus's cheaper tender.
Does Paul McCarthy believe that the "new boy on the block" will handle potential confrontations over clamping more sensitively? He replies that Park Rite's rapid response unit, activated when a crew required assistance or direction, could help minimise incident and complaint.
I put this point to Control Plus. "That's what our supervisors do," said a spokeswoman. "There's nothing new in that." She rejected criticism, saying that Control Plus did only what Dublin City Council required of it.
Park Rite, Ireland's largest car park investment and management company, is owned by investor Derek Quinlan, a former tax inspector who recently lead an investment syndicate to buy the Savoy hotel in London for €1.13 billion, and partner, accountant Thomas Dowd.
According to the annual accounts filed for year end 2002, Park Rite paid Quinlan €1.27m in 2001 for car park management contracts he held personally. The company also paid him €250,000 in annual fees. Recently he has been mentioned in connection with bids for Wentworth golf course, and property company Chelsfield.
In the capital, Park Rite will operate as Dublin Street Parking Services, with payment collection by consultants Cap Gemini, and Kingswell Associates managing the on-street activities, using the services of Control Plus's former employees.
The contract is worth about €8m annually, with revenue of €5m in fines going to Dublin Council. The balance of €3m a year, met by the city council, is money well spent, according to Paul McCarthy.
Control Plus has recently won two new contracts. Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council and Arklow Town Council have opted for ticket issue contracts rather than clamping operations.
Industry sources say that "churning" of contracts tends to occur in response to initial customer and political resistance to unpopular new measures, such as clamping.
"After Park Rite has clamped 60,000 cars a year for five years, we're going to look like the good guys," one Control Plus ex-employee said.
Motors tried unsuccessfully to arrange an interview with Park Rite managing director Grainne Kelleher this week.