Council To Talk Towing
Prince George, B.C.- When Council for the City of Prince George meets this evening for it’s first regular meeting of the new year, there will be plenty of talk about towing. Staff have prepared two pieces for Council’s consideration.
First, a report to be received as information on the towing of vehicles for on street or off street parking infractions.
A vehicle shall be towed for a parking violation in the following circumstances without any attempt to contact the vehicle’s owner:
- vehicles interfering with snow clearing operations;
- vehicles that have one outstanding unpaid parking ticket;
- vehicles “plowed around” by snow clearing operations during the Winter Parking Prohibition on the even civic address side of a highway;
- vehicles parked in an unsafe manner that creates a life safety or traffic hazard;
- vehicles that are or appear to be uninsured or abandoned, and,
- vehicles parked too close to a fire hydrant or in a bus zone.
A vehicle shall be towed for parking violation in the following circumstances after a reasonable attempt to contact the vehicles owner was made:
- vehicles blocking access to a private drive way or road way; and
- vehicles parked on unsigned highways for more than 24 hours.
A vehicle may be towed for any other parking violation if the officer determines that towing the vehicle is an appropriate action given the circumstances and/or the nature of the parking violation.
The second towing piece, is about a bylaw for towing procedures for private parking lots. The bylaw would allow private parking lot operators a means to remove vehicles that are in violation of their rules, it would also protect vehicle owners as the bylaw would contain limits for towing charges and set signage requirements for the parking lot so vehicle owners are well aware of the potential consequences of unauthorized parking.
Comments
One unpaid parking ticket!!! Thats crazy!
I agree.
It is quite possible to get more than one ticket on the same day. To assure that one does not get towed, it means one would have to go to City Hall to pay the first one right away after receiving it.
I think a reasonable approach would be to use a fixed number of days from the first ticket. Say a week to 10 days.
The problem I see is that we are going from one extreme to another.
vehicles parked too close to a fire hydrant will be towed automatically ….
vehicles blocking access to a private drive way or road way will not be towed automatically unless they cannot locate the owner ……
The probability that a fire hydrant will need to be accessed is considerably lower than the probability that a car sitting in a driveway will be blocked from leaving the property ……..
If you think that one deals with safety and the other does not, just consider that the car may be used for an emergency errand.
Or assuming that one can even see the fire hydrant. I thought they were supposed to have the sticks marking them but I just about parked in front of one covered in snow. I didn’t see it until I was out of my truck.
The whole list seems excessive. Maybe ticket after a vehicle has been left on the road for a couple days but one night doesn’t even give someone a chance to get it fixed if it doesn’t start one evening. We haven’t had a lot of cold yet this year but it happens.
One Ticket? Rediculous.
Its technically TWO tickets – the unpaid one and then whatever violation is currently being committed. You have more than one day to pay a ticket so I doubt very much you would show up as “outstanding” on the same day.
Having said that, this is probably just another list of bylaws that wont be enforced anyway, like the rest of ’em.
“4.vehicles parked in an unsafe manner that creates a life safety or traffic hazard.”
That one I can see but then the city would be required to plow the complete pavement from curb to curb. There are too many streets that have four to six feet of pavement with a snowbank on it on each side or merge lanes that are completely blocked by unremoved snow.
As for the 12.5 cm standard, right now we have more than that in solid ice buildup on our street with many potholes that go right to the pavement. One car already lost its muffler and part of a tailpipe because of that.
Many times I have had to manoeuver around cars parked on both sides of the street where an ambulance or firetruck would never be able to squeeze between them. That is partially the fault of the drivers parking there but more the fault of the city for not plowing the street properly.
The City should be booting and towing recurring parking violators, but as gus said, I think this is going to the other extreme. I would think 3 outstanding tickets would be reasonable enough for a tow.
People need to learn how to park, if your parked like an idiot with no consideration for others than you deserve to have your vehicle towed. I had my Truck towed from a street in Vancouver in the summer cuz I didnt read the signs properly….not their fault, I went to the impound yard and paid to get it out….No pissin and moanin, it was my fault, no tears for folks that cant read signs or know the law and have their vehicle towed!
The city needs to focus on snow/ice clearing and road repair instead of screwing us the taxpayers who pay for these services and their wages.
givemore: “Many times I have had to manoeuver around cars parked on both sides of the street where an ambulance or firetruck would never be able to squeeze between them. That is partially the fault of the drivers parking there but more the fault of the city for not plowing the street properly.”
I disagree. Plowing aside, if you park in such a manner that it would impede an emergency vehicle, you need to park somewhere else. If the bad plowing alone causes issues with emergency vehicles, then I would agree.
Given the condition of the roads this city has no business enforcing anything. Its like the bloody wild west, including the wagon roads!
“The city needs to focus on snow/ice clearing and road repair instead of screwing us the taxpayers who pay for these services and their wages.”
I think thats what their trying to do by clearing the streets, but its hard to do when everyone parks their cars and trucks on the street! Again I have lived here for 11 years and have known since the first winter that you dont park on Residential streets during the winter months etc (Its all on the city website as well as on the radio) so if someone does…..impedes the crews trying to clear the streets….then Tow em! We all agree the streets here are a joke, but its made worse when you cant clear a street cuz of vehicles parked all over it.
Gus – “It is quite possible to get more than one ticket on the same day.”
If your getting more than one ticket in a day your doing something wrong! lol
The city streets aside, the second part will hamper you from removing inappropriate cars from your private property. Why is the City getting into how cars are removed from private property when the owners already have to follow rules to tow illegally park vehicles.
They forgot to add number 7. Heavy trucks parked in residential areas for more than the 3 hours allotted.
I have to laugh when I read number one “vehicles interfering with snow clearing operations”. Ha, ha, ha! What a joke; there is NO snow clearing operations. No worries about getting towed for that violation :)
Worry not as Council has once AGAIN Flip Flopped on what they want!! See the Lead Story on how they have now changed….all in a matter of a day LOL!
Where is the commonsense? Certainly not in this present Mayor and Council.. :(
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