 
|
|||||||||
              
|
Editorial: Towing and tribulation No free parking, but no forgetting fairness Wednesday, December 08, 1999
Getting towed is no fun. It happens, though, and most of the time there's no arguing around it. Parking in an illegal spot or a private lot, just to sneak a freebie, merits towing. Being stranded by a tow company, however, is unfair. It's an inexcusable predicament, which many Pittsburghers have had to endure the past few months.
Since July, citizens have complained to city officials about local towing practices: sky-high fees, discourteous personnel and a lack of visible signs. The pattern became alarming so Councilman Alan Hertzberg and City Controller Tom Flaherty judiciously decided to hold a public hearing on the subject last week. The anecdotes were startling.
For retrieving cars, the companies routinely demanded exorbitant sums of money. One of them, All Pro Detail and Tow, typically charged $150. Interestingly enough, for a break-down tow, the owner, Thomas H. Stiokis Jr., stated that his company would ask $65. So why did he require $85 more for essentially the same task, towing cars out of private lots? His only explanation: the tow fee was no more costly than the city's $152.50.
Not true. The city charges that amount for the entire process. Only $50 goes to the tow company hired by the city. The rest covers the city's $60 tow pound, which operates 24 hours a day, and the parking violation ticket (such as parking on the rush hour route), which is $42.50.
Evidently, Mr. Stiokis thought he could assume the role of government official without anyone noticing. By incorporating the city's punishment costs into his own fees, the self-appointed disciplinarian was doling out penalties to citizens he had no jurisdiction over. Even worse, he was implicitly assessing the wrong fine. City tickets for parking on private property are only $15.
People trapped by these towers often had to cough up the dough in cash. No credit cards. No checks. No exceptions. If wallets were empty and MAC machines beyond walking distance, drivers frequently refused to assist them.
Accepting only cash is not just an inconvenience, it's unsafe. Several people at the meeting said they were stranded in the middle of the night in Elliot. After paying for expensive cab rides to All Pro's tow pound, they found out that credit cards were not accepted.
The city will appropriately respond to these grievances today, when the council discusses a proposal for a task force to study the problem and formulate regulations.
Property owners can rightfully hire tow trucks to patrol their lots, but state law gives local government the power to regulate these services. The task force should suggest a cap on what towers charge, close to the regular break-down tow amount. For safety and convenience, they should advise acceptance of credit cards and personal checks. Furthermore, the group should recommend that law enforcers actively patrol lots and fine violators of state law who do not have signs prominently displayed.
With the expansion of the convention center, the construction of the stadiums and the upcoming Fifth/Forbes project, parking is at a premium in the city. If Pittsburgh wants to attract visitors, from the outside or within, it needs to make parking a more palatable experience. A $50 fee paid with Visa is still an instructive lesson on the importance of finding a legal parking space.
|
||||||||
