Thursday, January 17, 2013

Tow, Tow and Keep Towing

Towed in Winnipeg




I have been towed once. I went to Manitoba Theatre Centre to a play and missed signs up indicating they would be removing snow banks. It was a little upsetting as I didn't see the signs and thought that any clearing would take place after 11 in any event.

Lesson learned. Whenever I park for something like the theatre now, I usually look for a parkade or check for signs.

Winnipeggers got a free pass for the winter storm earlier this year. The new system was still getting into place. There was confusion about zones, about garbage pick-up and about everything it seems. People were told there would be no similar latitude given for a future snow. Afterall, there is some personal responsibility to try and find out when streets will be cleared around you.

There still seems to be confusion on putting garbage out in the bins on assigned days that may also be plowing days. The city needs to sort that out. However, it is a separate issue from parking.

Let's be clear: If it is three or four days since the storm and your car is still piled high with snow and not been moved, don't act shocked if it is hauled off to the impound.

And let's face it, there are cars all over town like that. They are snow covered and parked on every street. Drifts are around them as their owners probably lie on a beach in Mexico somewhere.

It is time these thoughtful citizens came back home and found out their cars are no longer there. The tickets should be coming out fast and furious and the cars towed off to an impound. Act like a dick and pay a couple of hundred dollars for it.

There are so many drivers who get off scot-free for making the roads a mess. It is said that 800 cars got towed in a 24 hour period. We need to do even better than that for people who think they got away with parking this time around. Even now, I see cars piled with snow, no ticket and no tow.

The lack of courtesy, the awful state of curb lanes and reduced parking will only be dealt with by a severe penalty for lack of compliance.

I'm sorry if you got towed in the last days. Did you not think it was even a possibility when you left your car out?

Take responsibility people.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Fully agree. What is amazing is the amount of cars on some streets. I drove down Spence from Broadaway to York today and there must be ten cars in the one block that have not moved since Friday.

Closer to my home is a spot where someone has driven out after the plow has been through. Basically one lane is impassible except at low speeds.

Ridiculous.

PS. I am no holier than thou type. I have been towed at least five frustrating times in my life.

John Dobbin said...

Anon: I expect we will have a few more snows this year. I know that on a few streets I have lived on, there have been a few drivers who have put their cars on the streets to avoid getting trapped in a back lane. The problem is that the snow left from their vehicle on the street leaves a huge mess.

It is time those drivers learned that the city won't tolerate this anymore.

The city has made back lane plowing a priority just so people won't park out on the streets and block emergecny and snow routes.