Gardaí are cracking down hard on cars driving in the city centre during the hours of the ‘Pana ban,’ a three-and-a-half hour window when private motorists are asked not to travel on Patrick’s Street.
Officers were on the city centre street this afternoon, stopping vehicles and speaking with drivers who were on the road during the hours of the car ban and asking them what they were doing.
There was a queue of cars stopped on the street at around 4.30pm this afternoon, as officers stopped to speak with nearly every single driver who had cheekily chosen to cut through the city via Patrick’s Street.
Private motorists are meant to divert along the quays and are not to drive on Patrick’s Street between 3 pm and 6.30 pm.
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While a spokesperson for An Garda Siochana said it “does not comment on ongoing operational activity,” it’s understood that Roads Traffic Policing Gardaí were on Patrick’s Street to enforce the Pana ban this afternoon and are cracking down on motorists flouting the rules.
The car ban, which is in place every day of the week, was first introduced in 2018 to prioritise public transport, buses and taxis on the busy city street.
Over the years there has been criticism from local traders, Bus Eireann, City Councillors and taxi drivers on the lack of enforcement and the number of private motorists parking in taxi ranks and bus lanes.
In 2023, figures revealed how traffic wardens issued a total of 3,090 fines for a range of parking offences on St Patrick’s Street – including almost 600 motorists who were issued with a fine for the “wrong vehicle class.”
The thousands of fines issued every year give Pana the reputation as the ‘biggest trap for illegal parking’ in Ireland. For three years in a row (from 2020 to 2023) it was the prime location for detecting illegal parking.
The fine for driving in a bus lane is €60 if paid within 28 days, rising to €90 in the 28 days after that.