This Story has so many parking references they are difficult to catalogue. First off, it’s the ‘boot.’ The metal monster is being used in Tampa to get people to pay their parking fines. OK. Second the Mayor notes they send people 10 notices before they boot. WOW! Ten chances. No wonder people don’t pay on time. Why should they. Just keep track of the notices and then pay when you get the ninth.
Then there’s automatic license plate recognition that’s used to find the cars that are owned by scofflaws. Super technology. With it, I just wonder why they wait so long before booting. Of course if the person doesn’t pay within a couple of days, they tow. I know booting is easier than towing, but towing certainly gets their attention.
Finally we talk to Brandon the Tattoo artist whose car was booted and he had to come up with a grand to get it released. He parks in front of his parlor so he “can keep an eye on my car.” The limit there is two hours. He often doesn’t like to leave his customers “in pain” to move his car, hence the resulting fines.
So we have merchants who take their customers parking spaces. Brother, sounds like there needs to be some aggressive look at parking policy and some work with the downtown merchants, as well as cruising the streets with their new ALPR system nailing scofflaws.
At least the cigar city is moving in the right direction
JVH
2 Responses
In Chicago, this story has played out in numerous directions. (1) get the famous YELLOW clamp and the City Tows come find you. But the aggressive nature of the City has another tougher policy, when they say no parking after 4pm, it’s the Wild West at 4:01pm. Every Towing Contractor is on the prowl. Then the real nightmare surfaces – Where did they tow it too….
Do you know where they towed it to?
One of the great dangling participles — Another: Where no man has gone before.
Or as Churchill said when someone corrected a line in one of his memos concerning a participle. “It is a rule up with which I will not put.”