Monday, February 19, 2007

Permit Parking Only--at Villa de Clara Vista






Permit Parking only! The signs are posted everywhere. The curbs are all painted red. The parking spaces are striped AND stenciled.
So, what is it that makes people suddenly parking-stupid when they pull into one of Hacienda CDC's NE Cully neighborhood apartment complexes?
How can people be so parking-stupid that: despite the fact that 155 cars were towed out of here in 2006 alone, despite the fact that the residents and employees occupying these complexes warn every visitor about the towing danger, people simply cannot get parking right at the Villa de Clara Vista and the other Hacienda properties.
These people simply won't learn! Some of them have to get their cars jacked before they wake up to the fact that parking is serious business here!
At least, that's the way the tow companies explain it.
Hacienda CDC staff have no explanation. They say the tow companies ought to be careful.
155 vehicles towed in 2006. Let's say the average cost of those tows, including the value of the cars lost because the owners couldn't come up with the ransom, was $ 250.
$ 250 times 155 is $ 38,750, and does not include the cost of lost wages, lost jobs, missed classes, etc. due to the loss of your vehicle.
This patrol towing operation transferred nearly $ 40,000 from 155 pockets and concentrated them into the pockets of a few.
When will these people learn to park their cars right?
What lengths are Hacienda and Hacienda's towing contractors willing to go to to help these people figure out how to park their cars without being towed?
Find out soon, stay tuned.

2 comments:

Jenni Simonis said...

I don't know about that complex, but at mine at a lot are towed. Not because of predatory towing, but because people are stupid enough to park in numbered spots. Spots that obviously belong to someone.

Within a month of moving in, we had three cars towed out of our spot. Another two were fast enough to move after they saw security here writing down their license plate info and calling it in for a tow.

People really are stupid when it comes to parking.

At our old complex, we were stuck without a parking spot at least 30 times over the period of a year. By the time we'd get home from work, all the visitor spots would be taken (as would our spot), leaving only spots along the street, a distance from our building. With a late 80s Honda Accord, we weren't willing to take the chance of parking on the street.

One nigh I got yelled at by a guy, because he was mad that we were home before him, and he wasn't able to park in our spot.

While some of it may be predatory towing, much of it is the stupidity of others. If there is a number on the spot, don't park in it. If it doesn't say visitor, don't park in it. You park, you get towed. And I honestly don't feel sorry for you. Those numbered spots are paid for by the resident, and it belongs to them.

Anonymous said...

I agree with you...people don't pay attention to numbered spots, I manage an apartment complex and made all tenants sign a parking rules and regulations form..but still have problems with guests parking in tenant spaces.

Here in NE Portland most of the street parking is 2hrs only and tons of no parking signs.

and to make matters worse the complex next door to us has 60 units of 2,3 and 4 bedroom units with 40 parking spaces..without permit parking my complex would be full of tenants and guests of the complex next door.

I've had about 12 cars towed in the last 2.5yrs since our complex was built and our towing company works with us and calls me before a car is towed just in case a tenant borrowed or bought a new car and forgot to tell us......

It's crazy because tenants get mad when I make they're guest move their cars, then turn around and complain when someone parks in their space!! Go figure