PEOPLE getting their driving licences renewed in Ennis and Limerick are being treated very rudely, this week’s meeting of Clare County Council heard.
Several of the members had stories of people being belittled as they sought to renew their licences, while it was claimed that the service to the public was far better when it was provided by local authorities rather than the Road Safety Authority.
Councillor Gerry Flynn introduced a motion calling on the Minister for Transport and Government “to urgently address the many issues and problems experienced by members of the public in Clare when accessing the delivery of Driver Licences”.
During the course of the discussion there was absolute consensus that the current situation is not acceptable.
Many Clare people are having to use a centre at the Parkway in Limerick and independent Michael Begley said the service is very poor.
“On two occasions, both myself and my wife had to make three attempts to eventually get a drivers licence in the Parkway centre.
“The door is closed 15 minutes before finishing time and if you’re inside and there’s too many there they don’t get to you until 9am the next morning or whenever it suits you to come back again.”
He described it as “a total shambles” and said it is “not user friendly at all”.
Cathaoirleach of the Council PJ Ryan had a disturbing story of what he encountered when he was getting his own licence renewed.
“I experienced two old people who knocked on the window of the office, and the lady in the office came out and said get away from the window, you cannot come in unless you apply online or make an appointment online.
“They were two elderly people and I was very, very sorry for them. I said look, you can take my appointment, I can come back tomorrow. The lady in the office said no, you cannot do that, you have to take your appointment now. The elderly lady just broke down and walked away. I felt very, very sorry for them.”
He said that there should be some consideration for the staff, who are working in a situation where there are too few people to deal with the pressure they are under.
“It’s very, very hard to work under that kind of strain.”
Councillor Tony O’Brien spoke about an elderly man who was badly treated at the office in Ennis.
“I want to articulate the story of an 83-year-old gentleman who is well known to me, very independent, well able to look after his own affairs, who had a letter from the NDLS, made his appointment to attend and he was berated beyond at the office in Ennis.”
The Fianna Fáil councillor added, “This gentleman was left belittled, small, he was hunted out of the office.”
While he was told his licence was extended, he was given no further details.
“To this day he still doesn’t know how long it’s been extended. He had to drive down the road not knowing whether he had a licence or not if he was stopped by a member of the Gardai. All because, I believe, he is in his eighties. It’s simply not good enough.”
The level of courtesy needs to be much better, he said. “There is no excuse for impoliteness or rudeness when you’re dealing with the public.”
Summing up, Councillor Flynn said that people can’t be treated in the way described, while he reiterated that the local authorities did a superior job.
“The RSA have failed, they have failed miserably on this one.”
In a statement to the Clare Champion after the meeting, the RSA said, “Appointments for the NDLS centre can be booked by phone or online and each NDLS Office will deal with the appointments made.
“We do not comment publicly on individual complaints. However, the NDLS Office is very clear that all customers should be treated with courtesy and respect.”
Owen Ryan has been a journalist with the Clare Champion since 2007, having previously worked with a number of other publications in Limerick, Cork and Galway. His first book will be published in December 2024.