It looks like towing back on the front page of the SJ-R. Nattie sent me the Illinois Vehicle Code a few weeks ago and I did skim through it. The IVC may not be considered the most interesting of reading, but possibly could be good bathroom material. Te IVC states that tow companies must accept cash and credit cards. There were also a few sections outlining that signs must be a certain height and display the name of the tow company and phone number.
Mayor Tim Davlin has now proposed new regulation from the city. This regulation includes caping the max charge for towing, as well as, limiting the amount that can be charged for keeping the vehicle over night.
Ordinance requirements:
- No- Cost Licenses for towing companies
- Maximum rates of $85 per tow and a $12 -per-day storage fee. No storage fees could be charged for vehicles at a tow yard for less than 24 hours.
- Signs at private parking lots stating that unauthorized vehicles will be towed at the owners’ expense, giving the name and phone number of the towing company, and listing the towing and storage fees.
- Normal business hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, except for six holidays. Companies would have to post telephone numbers for people to call to pick up vehicles after hours. A $20 fee could be charged for vehicles released after hours.
- Insurance and licensing requirements.
- Post-tow hearings for vehicle owners who request them. The hearings would be similar to the city’s traffic court proceedings.
Davlin has some good ideas here but he has missed the point that ties back to the original complaint that Northside Towing does not accept checks or credit cards.
How do you document cash around tax time?
SHoo you sure are turning into an old man.
Just posted a comment on the SJR site, thought I’d mirror it here:
I don’t feel sorry for people who park illegally, but this is a problem that stems from a lack of available parking spaces. A more ‘friendly’ solution would be for downtown businesses to only prohibit public parking on their lots during their hours of operation. If an office is only open 8-5, it doesn’t make sense to have the lot sit empty all night while people struggle to find parking elsewhere.
The city could offer monetary incentives for businesses who open their lots to the public for some weekday hours and possibly all weekend long. This is money well spent: it creates more parking spaces and still allows private companies to use towing companies during the hours they are needed most.
The people who own these lots used to let people park in there lots back in the day but when the bar business starting picking up they would have broken beer bottles in there lots and no one to clean them up every morning they said screw it and put up no parking tow signs. I dont feel sorry for anyone who got towed that night because they were all in the St Nick parking lot and that is for people who live in those apartments. Where are they supposed to park if there spot are all filled up with people partying.
Towing again?
Jager, I second that notion. I have problems constantly with the lot across from Browns. People totally take advantage of it. Beer bottles, puke, urine. You name it. People whine and complain to absolutely no end when we shut the lot down certain times of year, but none of the businesses around there pay us for its use, help clean it up or anything, so why should we be obligated to leave the lot open for public use?
Nattie, I promise I have never puked, urinated, or left a beer bottle in that parking lot.
And after living across from it, I would say that its ok during the week, but its the weekend crowd that’s really bad….and now with all the parking restrictions downtown it seems like more people are parking there and walking down towards 5th St…they aren’t even hanging out at Brown’s or Mojo’s.