Sir, - Now that the festive season is over, presumably Operation Freeflow will be downgraded again. No doubt thousands of parking tickets have been issued during the Christmas period, but I wonder how many of these fines will actually be collected. No one expects the Garda to turn up at every doorstep with a summons in the event of fines being left unpaid.
I would like to suggest a solution to this problem. Details of each ticket could be sent to the licensing authority where the vehicle is registered. When the owner comes to renew his/her motor tax, the authority could refuse to issue a new disc until all fines are paid.
A freephone number could be available for prospective buyers of second-hand vehicles to find out if the previous owner had any outstanding fines. - Yours, etc.,
From W. R. Martin
Dean's Court, Blackrock, Co Dublin.