Three Fines Handed Out By Kildare County Council For Dog Fouling Last Year - NCBI

Thursday, 24 August 2023 09:41

By Caoimhe Harney

Dog fouling is a huge issue for people who are blind or vision impaired

Just three fines handed out in Kildare for dog fouling in 2022.

Data gathered by National Council Blind Ireland as part of our Clear Our Paths campaign shows that just 82 dog fouling fines were handed out by local councils over the course of 2022.

Information, provided by the local councils at the request of NCBI, showed that 17 councils from around the country handed out zero dog fouling fines over the course of last year.

Kerry County Council had the highest number of fines with 27 and the council reported that there were two convictions related to those fines.

Dog fouling is a huge issue for people who are blind or vision impaired. A recent NCBI survey showed that it was the third most frequent unexpected obstacle encountered by respondents.

Not only can dog fouling cause a slip hazard, but it can also be distressing for white cane users whose canes are often dirtied by faeces.

Cars parked on footpaths emerged as the number one obstacle faced by respondents to our survey.

Some 429 fines were handed out by Kildare County Council for inappropriate parking.

NCBI recently learned that over 19,000 fines were handed out in 2022 for issues around street and inappropriate parking across the country.

Three councils reported that they had not handed out any fines, while Mayo County Council said there were no fines handed out in the Claremorris/Swinford area. Roscommon County Council said there are no traffic wardens in the county.

Parking inappropriately, especially on footpaths, causes a serious hazard for people who are blind or vision impaired. If a footpath is blocked, people with sight loss may be injured by walking into traffic to get around a vehicle, injured walking into the vehicle, or injured by stepping off kerbs in unfamiliar locations.