Kildare sports club members are criticised for parking in disabled spaces

Kildare County Council has tackled members of a sports club using Kerdiffstown Park, near Naas, after some of its members used parking spaces designated for by people with disabilities.

Local councillor Anne Breen called on KCC to make the signs in the parking area more visible “to ensure that these parking locations are readily available for disabled persons and not taken up by other people.”

At a Naas Municipal District meeting, Cllr Bill Clear says it is “anti-social” for people not entitled to use the spaces to do so.

“It’s abhorrent that anyone thinks it is okay,” he said, adding that anyone fined for doing this never contests it in court “because they don’t want to be identified.”

Cllr Fintan Brett said: “It is young, fit people who do it; there is no enforcement.” 

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KCC official Simon Wallace said there was an issue with a sports club and the council “got on to them.”

He also said the  spaces there are clearly identified and marked and designated for people with special needs. 

“There are no plans to carry out any further works to them (and) there is no reason for people without special needs to use them (and we) will be implementing the use of leaflets to highlight to users the correct use of these spaces,” Mr Wallace added.

Cllr Evie Sammon said rather than distributing leaflets, KCC should put stickers on the offending vehicles “because there’s nothing worse than the shame of having to take it off.”