Dempsey announces cross-border initiative to tackle parking and toll offenders

The Department of Transport, together with colleagues in Northern Ireland today announced an innovative new cross-border pilot project. This data exchange project will facilitate the better enforcement of parking fines and toll charges for motorists travelling between both jurisdictions. The initial pilot project, which comes into effect from 3 March 2010 will run until the end of November this year.

Minister Dempsey continued: “We already have a reciprocal agreement in place with the Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA) in Northern Ireland to exchange vehicle information on issues such as motor tax and abandoned vehicles. The new project being piloted today, builds on this relationship through a formalised Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). “

Minister Conor Murphy from the Department for Regional Development in the north said: "It is important that all road users adhere to parking and traffic restrictions. Parking control is an essential part of traffic management and road safety wherever you live on this island and this new measure will strengthen enforcement. Illegal parking leads to congested roads, blocked accesses and frustrated drivers. No-one wants to get a parking ticket and I would again urge drivers to park properly and have a thought for other motorists and pedestrians.”

Minister Dempsey concluded: "The formal Memorandum of Understanding bringing the pilot project into effect has been signed by officials from the various jurisdictions. In the meantime, work continues at EU level to develop a pan-European service encompassing all road networks in the EU to allow for the mutual exchange of driver information between states. The Department of Transport looks forward to further co-operation with our colleagues across the EU in implementing this. “

Frequently Asked Questions

What exactly will happen if I evade a parking fine, or a toll charge in Northern Ireland from 3 March 2010?
>You will have 28 days in which to pay the fine. After this period has elapsed, your details will be forwarded to the Department of the Environment in Northern Ireland who will pursue you for the fine.

 
Is it the same for NI motorists who fail to pay parking fines and commit tolling offences in the Republic?
>Yes. The Driver and Vehicle Agency in NI will forward your details to the NRA (for tolls) and the local authority (for parking offences) who can then pursue motorists from NI in the same way as they currently do here.

Is this all new? I mean, am I now only obliged to pay parking tickets and tolling charges after 3 March?
>No. Anyone driving in another jurisdiction is legally obliged to comply with road traffic laws in that jurisdiction. This means obeying speed limits, wearing a seatbelt, and so on. It also includes paying parking fines and tolling charges. This has always been the case

 
The new system has given the authorities the power to seek driver data relating to a parking or tolling offence regardless of when the offence occurred. This will help to strengthen the existing enforcement regimes. Initially, the focus is likely to fall on new offences. If however you have committed multiple parking and tolling offences over the last six months or so, you might find the authorities can pursue you vigorously.

So what happens if I just refuse to pay the fine?
>Refusing to pay a fine is an offence. The authorities in Northern Ireland will now have your details and they could pursue you through the courts system here in Ireland. (Note- they can do this already- now they actually have the information to carry it through)

What about vehicles from other countries? Say, Poland or France, or Germany, are they subject to the same rules about parking and tolling?

>The NRA has separate arrangements in place to pursue these motorists. They use the service of a specialist parking/tolling enforcement agency.

What about UK drivers?
The UK Department for Transport and their Driver and Vehicle Licencing Agency based in Swansea, have been actively involved in the hard work that has gone on behind the scenes to make this project a reality. They are monitoring how well the project goes and depending on the results, could join in the data exchange at a future date.

 
Roughly how many non-Irish registered vehicles pass through....for example the M50 barrier-free toll each day?
>About 3% of all vehicles using the M50 barrier-free tolling on a daily basis are non-Irish (majority from Northern Ireland). In other words an average of 1,800 vehicle trips each day. About 50% of them already fully comply with paying tolls. The new measures are a step towards redressing the issue of those non-Irish registered drivers, who fail, or persistently fail to pay tolls. [The failure to pay tolls isn't exclusive to Ireland though; it happens in other Member States too. For example, Transport for London has experienced similar problems in respect of French and Irish drivers in particular.

Further information on the use of the barrier-free tolling system is available here <http://www.eflow.ie/>.
 
Is the cross-border initiative between the Republic and NI part of an EU-wide initiative? I mean, if I'm travelling anywhere in the EU will my vehicle registration details be exchanged with the authorities in the other country?

>No. While this kind of information exchange already happens in some parts of Europe , not all countries exchange vehicle and licensing information between them.

Work continues at EU level to develop a pan-European Service, encompassing all road networks in the EU to allow for the mutual exchange of driver information between states. The full implementation of this is still however, some time away. Remember however, that anyone who is driving in another jurisdiction is legally obliged to comply with road traffic laws in that country. Again, this includes complying with local parking and tolling arrangements.

 
I'm a bit worried about my vehicle and driver details being passed to another country
>Data security and privacy are sensitive issues. This is one reason why work on this Pilot Scheme has taken longer than anticipated. However, rest assured that the data will be exchanged electronically using very high levels of security to provide very high levels of assurance that the whole data transfer process will remain highly secure. The use to which this data is put to once received will also be monitored by each jurisdiction via an agreed audit regime; the details of which will be set down in a detailed Service Level Agreement (SLA).

Does this also mean that penalty points will be recognised in other EU states?
>No. The penalty points system is distinct and separate. Work continues at EU level to introduce a system of recognition for penalty point offences, but this remains some time off yet.

Where is my information being stored?
> The relevant rules and the laws regarding data privacy and personal data will be fully complied with in both jurisdictions. The Data Protection Commissioner has been consulted and is satisfied that all is in order. Separately, the use of this data will be monitored in each jurisdiction by an agreed audit regime.

What happens after the pilot scheme ends in November 2010?
>It depends on how well the scheme operates. Before any future decisions are made about the continuation of the scheme, agreement is required on this, by the authorities in Ireland, NI and the UK. It is possible that the system will be extended to cover mainland UK.