By Avril Horan

PARKING fines in the city have tripled since 2023 in a dramatic rise that has shocked city councillors.

Galway City Council confirmed that 5,300 fines have been issued in 2025 — up from 4,096 in 2024 and 1,717 in 2023 — meaning the volume of tickets issued has more than tripled over that period.

Payments have risen at an even sharper rate. The number of fines paid has more than tripled since 2023, increasing from 1,289 to 4,183.

Court proceedings have also climbed significantly, rising from 140 cases in 2023 to 345 this year — almost two-and-a-half times higher.

Cllr Terry O’Flaherty (Ind) said the surge was difficult to justify given the widespread confusion caused by the city’s transition away from pay and display machines.

“I am shocked,” she said.

“We must have upped the issuing of tickets, because people genuinely didn’t know how to pay for parking.”

She rejected the suggestion that the jump in fines could be explained by motorists “parking on footpaths”.

“Are you suggesting that in 2025 all of them (fines) would have been people parking on footpaths?” she enquired.

In a written response, Cllr O’Flaherty was informed that 79 of the city’s 91 pay and display machines were out of order up to August of this year.

Approximately 70% of parking transactions in the city, up to August 2025, are made by motorists using the app.

Cllr Frank Fahy (FG) described the tripling of fines since 2023 as “extraordinary” and raised concerns over the cost of pursuing unpaid fines through the courts.

He noted that while the fines themselves go to the Department of Justice, the legal costs fall back on the Council.

“It’s a loss-loss for us,” he said.

At this week’s meeting of Galway City Council, Director of Services Patrick Greene said the Council had shown leniency early in the year, but emphasised that enforcement had continued throughout.

“Parking covers not only pay-and-display, it covers a multitude,” he said.

“We were very lenient at the start of the year, but towards the latter end the majority of people were paying. We never stopped enforcing.”

He added that fines issued during the cashless transition remain valid.

“My legal advice is that we were still covered under the existing byelaws,” he said.

“The new byelaws bring definition to payment methods. It’s about paying for parking.”

Meanwhile, Cllr Shane Forde (FG) has called for a clampdown on early morning parking offenders.

He told the meeting that wardens were missing early morning parking violations because they do not begin work until 8.30 a.m.

“There are parking issues at seven and even six a.m.,” he said.

“The warden has to be allowed to work earlier to issue fines.”

Mr Greene said he would examine the issue and would “have to look at an earlier start” but cautioned that overtime and staffing levels must be managed within the Council’s budget.

He confirmed that the warden team had grown from seven in 2021 to twelve in 2024, a level that has since remained steady.

■ Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.

Pictured: Cllr Terry O’Flaherty (Ind)