5619 replies to this topic

[VicHockeyFan]

Over a year ago I saw a tire clamp on a vehicle in the lot between Cormorant and Pandora, behind Rotterham (sp?) Place.

[VicHockeyFan]

The other day near Tillicum and Burnside I spot a white sedan with a blacked out rear passenger window. A circle cut into the tint revealed an LED strobe.

Wait a minute, these things are often mounted on the top of a vehicle. How many plates can they read at once, ie. don't you have to aim it at a license plate?

[Baro]

I go out for dinner usually every friday, and it's always downtown. We never have to do more than 1-2 loops to get parking, I don't understand why people say we have a parking problem in victoria, have they never been to say, ANY OTHER CITY? Or do they just have ridiculous suburban expectations of every building surrounded by a huge parking lagoon?

[gumgum]

Edit: ^exactly. Parking here is a steal. (Duh, spelling.)

[aastra]

...have they never been to say, ANY OTHER CITY?

Sure, but they also never went downtown in those other cities because parking was expensive and hard to find.

[VicHockeyFan]

Sure, but they also never went downtown in those other cities because parking was expensive and hard to find.

Yes, it's one of those "no one goes there anymore because it's too busy" situations. "I've stopped bothering to go downtown because everyone else is plugging up all the parking".

[amor de cosmos]

Edit: ^exactly. Parking here is a steal. (Duh, spelling.)

as long as the density is low enough & long-term parking is available there will be lots of traffic downtown

[aastra]

...have they never been to say, ANY OTHER CITY?

On second thought, maybe those people are very familiar with the downtown parking situation in places like Edmonton, Kelowna, Saskatoon, Regina, Winnipeg, etc.

Hence their frustration in downtown Victoria? Just speculating. I've never tried parking in any of those places so appearances may be deceiving.

Even Calgary has countless large surface parking lots right downtown.

[gumgum]

^I've been to all of these cities I don't remember it being easier to park downtown, except for Kelowna and Sask.

[aastra]

Interesting. What are the challenges in Edmonton? Aerial photos suggest downtown Edmonton's largest surface parking lot would contain about half as many spaces as every surface lot in downtown Victoria combined.

And downtown Victoria's largest surface parking lot would be something like 12th largest in downtown Edmonton.

[aastra]

Just to clarify, I'm coming at this from the premise that surface parking is the issue for a lot of people.

[sebberry]

Towing and wheel clamping should be criminally punishable offenses.

Yet another reason to stay away from down town as much as possible. The last thing I want is to come out and find that some putz has had his mucky paws all over my car clamping it because I took 5 minutes longer in a meeting or buying something than I thought I would.

What if you need your vehicle for an emergency and it has a clamp on it or has been stolen by the towing contractor? What if you have accidentally left mediacation in it and need it?

Yes, people need to play by the rules and pay for parking, but I consider my car an extension of my home. Nobody boards up my house for being a day late on my property tax.

NOBODY has a right to put their hands on my car except for me.

[Holden West]

I didn't take note of what kind of parking spaces these boots were used at. I agree, it's a harsh punishment for being a few minutes over but I doubt they're being used in those instances. On the other hand, if I had a reserved space that someone barged into, I'd be just as mad as you are. No one has a right to touch my parking space except for me.

[aastra]

NOBODY has a right to put their hands on my car except for me.

Not even the owner of the property on which your car is parked?

[sebberry]

Not even the owner of the property on which your car is parked?

Not unless it is an urgent issue, or you are in somebody's reserved space. Two things you don't do: 1) Touch another man's automobile and 2) Steal another man's parking spot

The problem with clamping and towing (in addition to the issues I posted earlier) are how easily can the right to tow and clamp be abused? If the vehicle owner has been there for 5 minutes too long? Has one outstanding parking ticket?

Lets say the meter reader sees that you have three minutes before your time runs out and he isn't scheduled to come back for another thirty. Does he say "aw screw it, the owner probably won't be back in three minutes, I'm going to immobilize it"?

I am probably one of the most "by the book" people you will come across, especially when it comes to vehicles and driving. The ONLY traffic law I don't mind violating is speed.

I have never had a parking ticket because I either park in parkades and pay whe I leave or over-feed the meeter to give myself a time buffer. That being said, even tho towing/clamping will probably never affect me, I still don't want people having the right to steal, clamp or otherwise molest my car. Period.

[LJ]

Then don't ever watch Parking Wars on A&E!

In Vancouver if you are parked on a street that has restricted parking during rush hour your car is gone in less than 60 seconds as a fleet of tow trucks swarms the arterials.

They stage at the side of the road until the designated time then wham, your gone.

[Newlywednotnearlydead]

Sounds like a case for Angle Grinder Man!

[sebberry]

In Vancouver if you are parked on a street that has restricted parking during rush hour your car is gone in less than 60 seconds as a fleet of tow trucks swarms the arterials.

That's a bit extreme, but considering how antiquated Vancouver's road system is I am not surprised.

I saw them towing cars from along the "No parking from 4-6" area of Johnson street once, ya know, where it is already 3 lanes even with parked cars. Of course this was around the time the city decided to block off one of the lanes a few blocks up to put in a crosswalk.

[sebberry]

Sounds like a case for Angle Grinder Man!

My new hero

Which leads me to something else I don't understand. They're allowed to clamp me for my threat to world peace but I am not allowed to remove something (the clamp) that somebody left on my car?

And think about towing - it is glorified and legalized ransom. They do it so you are FORCED to pay the penalty because somehow leaving a ticket on your windscreen isn't enough.

[sebberry]

And don't even get me started on the ethics behind private companies being contracted to enforce and profiting from violators of city by-laws. It's like the police confiscating and selling for a profit your marijuana plants.