Clampers told to cut back on activities

3 July 2002: Clamping companies have been instructed to clamp fewer cars parked illegally as the practice could put the driver at risk. The move follows fears that women particularly would be at risk from criminals if they were stuck at the side of the road with a clamped car.

No, it’s not in Dublin, but Cape Town in South Africa. It has been agreed that wheels will only be clamped if there is a marshal near the car. The marshal will wait for the owner to return and unclamp the car immediately on payment of the R50 fine.

Western Cape director of prosecutions Frank Kahn says also that money collected by traffic marshals would now be kept in a fund and would be paid back to motorists if they had a valid excuse for staying too long in a parking bay.

Like a recent Dublin experience front-paged by the Irish Times, the Cape Town department also recently lost one of its clamps after a motorist allegedly changed the clamped wheel for his spare and drove off with the clamped wheel in his boot.

July 2002