Towing cars

And who do you think is going to notify the HOA?

 

i might be wrong, but i don't think that's how it works. i think when a community contracts with a tow truck company, they give the company carte blanche to troll the neighborhood looking for ne'er-do-wells and they very quickly tow and zoooooooooom.

 

That is why we need a contract so we can set it up how the HOA wants it done not just the tow company who is trying to make some money

Staci

 

Hmmm...I'm wondering if any of this is really necessary. Are parking violations rampant across Broadlands or is it focused in one area? Lets focus on the neighborhoods and not the shopping plaza's when answering this. If there truly is an issue, then lets address it another way: HOA imposed fines to the violators or possible community privledges suspended, like use of pools (don't know if this is legal or not?). My fear: it does not matter what language we put in a contract, tow companies, especially the drivers, could care less about the fine print of a contract. The drivers have the flexibility to use their own judgment and will often tow at will. Maybe I just don't pay attention or am just too aloof, but I have not witnessed any parking issues in my neighborhood.

 

Ashburn Farm has been using towing companies to enforce parking for years with great effect and few complaints. It works very simple. We hire the towing company at no charge to drive through the neighborhood, if they see a car illegally parked, they take a digial picture of it. Then tow it. It's up to the offender to pay the towing fee. HOA isn't involved. Residents can call the towing company to report a violation. As long as the car is illegally parked it can legitimately be photographed and towed.

The only complaints seemed to have come from those getting towed. All it took was to show them the photo and they didn't have much they could say.

Now with that said, we have replaced towing companies from time to time. Which never was difficult there was a (I think) a 15 day cancellation clause. Might have been immediate or 30 days.

We've been doing this for around ten years now.

 

It is a problem around a lot of the community and one the HOA gets complaints about. If we knew who the cars belonged to then yes the HOA could impose some kind of fines/ sanctions. Since these are not cars that are parked in driveways it is often impossible to know who the car belongs to. The DMV does not give out tag/ owner info to HOA's.
I know from the security company I have 1 car that has been tagged/warned almost everyday for months that it is parking in the fire lane, but the owner continues to do it. I have no idea who it belongs to and the car parks in the fire lane over night and then leaves in the morning so by the time I get the report it is gone. This is exaclty the repeat offender I would have the HOA call about and have towed.
The tow company is not going to be able to tow anyone who is not doing something illegal to start with so as long as people are parking leagally there will not be a problem and no one will be towed.

Staci

 

there you have it folks!

 

Will they also be towing cars that are double parked in a driveway, covering the sidewalk?

 

AF does. this is a big issue in the townhouse communities. Strollers being forced to enter street to get around. BTW, photos very important in this instance.

 

Its very annoying. In the warmer days when the kids are outside its almost always impossible for them to ride their bikes/scooters/etc on the sidewalks without being forced to go into the street.

 

The plazas are not under the HOA, they are managed by the companies who own and/or run them.

 

Require the towing company to take a picture of the car in violation and I don't have a problem with it. Otherwise, inevitably, someone will get towed who isn't parked illegally. The towing company should be required to keep and provide evidence to the offender. I also think it would be prudent to define the offenses for which cars will be towed in the monthly newsletter so that residents receive fair warning.

 

Uh oh...here we go again!
:scaredeyes:

 

Don't know about you..but towing companies I've had the "pleasure" to use have been staffed with dubious personnel. The last one, the driver openly admitted he just got out of jail two weeks ago.

Just what we need...give carte' blanche to a towing company who's driver gets to decide what's illegal and what isn't and then gets paid to tow your car. Anyone else see where the dots just don't connect???

 

Every towing company I've ever dealt with (and I hate to admit it but there have been plenty around here and Blacksburg) has always, ALWAYS shown me proof of my illegal parking in a polaroid. They want to make sure they have evidence in case I stand there and try to dispute (yes, tried that too).

And while I don't know how these drivers get paid, if they get paid by the hour on their shift, it doesn't matter how many cars they tow... so what's the motivation to tow a car that is legally parked??

 

I think if you go back and actually read this thread rather then just making stuff up you will see no where here have Cliff or I stated the board wants to "give carte' blanche to a towing company who's driver gets to decide what's illegal and what isn't and then gets paid to tow your car". I know I was quite specific in stating that there would be a contract in place that would tell the tow company specifically what was to be towed and the board would have to even decide if it was a call from the HOA that initiated the tow vs the tow company coming out and doing the patrols.
Now I know there may be concerns over the HOA going to this measure. This is why it was put out here for discussion, and I do want to hear concerns, but we are not discussing the tow campany having a free for all to see how many cars they can tow for fun. Can we please debate what is on the table not your imagination.


Staci

 

I live in a Townhouse section. I am concerned about the safety issues involved when people park in fire lanes. Unfortunately, towing is the only option. I have observed our security people "ticketing" cars. It seems to be ignored.

I walk a lot. I find it inconvenient to walk in the road when cars block the sidewalk. However, this is not a safety issue. Towing often damages cars. It seems like an extreme response to blocking the sidewalk.

Will there be guidelines about how much blockage?

For those who might question my motives, I don't park on the sidewalk.

The real issue is that there is not enough parking in most townhome sections. The guidlines for the required parking spaces does not reflect needs and present usage. I am not saying that the shortage justifies parking in fire lanes. However, is there a way to make more parking spaces?

 

Tow truck drivers get paid by the hook up, not the hour.

 

This all sounds like deja vu to me. Same arguments about townhouse parking and the short of spaces. The deal is the County zones parking spaces "to small" for large cars and multi tenants in townhouse developments. Well, guess what suck it up. There is nothing you can do about it now, it is what it is.

During the parking and towing wars of Ashburn Farm, it continued until there was a legimate fire emergency. The fire trucks were unable to get down the narrow street due to illegal parking and that was finally a signal that something had to be done. Since then everyone is OK with towing and everyone is OK with making concessions to parking in front of their townhouse for the safety of everyone, including themselves.