Just 82 dog fouling fines handed out in 2022 as blind or vision impaired community calls on dog owners to clean up and Clear Our Paths

Thursday 24^th August 2023 – Data gathered by NCBI 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 18 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 who use our footpaths daily. 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. NCBI recently learned that over 19,000 fines were handed out in 2022 for issues around street and inappropriate parking. Three councils reported that they had not handed out any fines. 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.

A full breakdown of the fines handed out for dog fouling and for cars parked inappropriately can be found below.

NCBI recognises local councils’ efforts and challenges to support clear paths in their communities and some councils provided information about positive steps they have taken to curb the dangers posed by dog fouling in particular.

• Laois County Council confirmed that it had given out 96 mutt mitt dispensers to Tidy Towns groups around the county.
• Tipperary County Council said it ran an anti-dog fouling stencil campaign in two municipal districts with messaging around cleaning up after a dog and about fines.
• Wexford County Council said it, among other things, had provided free pooper scoopers and bins in towns, villages and at blue flag beaches.
• Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown Council said it runs a Green Dog Walkers programme to encourage all dog walkers to pick up after their pets.

Lord Mayor of Dublin Daithí de Róiste is supporting this year’s Clear Our Paths campaign with NCBI advocates who shared their concerns with him. He said: “The stories and challenges I’ve heard today have made it clear to me that we, the general public, need to work harder to keep our paths safe for people who are blind or vision impaired. It is important that we take an extra few seconds each day to ensure that our actions do not impact the ability of people who are blind or vision impaired to get out and about safely. Please support Clear Our Paths in whatever way you can, your small gesture can make a huge difference.”

Aaron Mullaniff, Chief Services Officer with NCBI said: “We would like to thank Lord Mayor Daithí de Róiste for his generous support of this important campaign. This new data we have gathered is a means to explain to the public the dangers of dog fouling on footpaths and the dangers of cars parked on footpaths. Firstly, the dog fouling data shows that councils can’t be expected to police the issue alone. It’s impractical to think that wardens could observe every single dog owner who doesn’t clean up after their dog and then issue them with a fine. There needs to be significant effort from the public to clean up after their pets in the first instance. It’s imperative that we all work to make our footpaths usable for all members in our communities.

“Secondly, if councils have noted over 19,000 incidents of inappropriate parking by way of a fine, can you imagine how many undetected instances there are that will pose a real risk to those living with sight loss? We’re asking everyone in Ireland to put yourself in a blind or vision impaired person’s shoes when you’re walking your pets, parking your car, putting out your bins or whatever it might be, and to act in a way that’s considerate to those people’s needs.”

As part of this campaign, NCBI has created a webpage aimed at supporting members of the public to have conversations with family members and friends about the importance of their own behaviour. We can all be active bystanders through our own actions and words and NCBI is asking people to start a positive conversation to encourage others to make sure our footpaths are clear and safe for everyone in our community.

NCBI’s #ClearOurPaths campaign will run across social media from August 21^st to 25^th, highlighting the different obstacles each day. We encourage others to join us by sharing on their social media channels too. Together, we can garner a greater understanding among the public about the needs of people with sight loss and how unexpected obstacles can impact their daily lives.

ENDS