12-25-2017, 11:00 PM
(12-25-2017, 09:39 PM)timc Wrote:(12-25-2017, 09:14 PM)ijmorlan Wrote: Totally agree. Now that they’ve permitted bad habits to start, I won’t be surprised if they have to tow, probably a lot, to fix it. When the University of Waterloo changed the de facto rules for the road connecting the Math and Computer loading dock to Ring Road to match the de jure rules by enforcing the No Parking, it took months of several-times-daily towing to really stop the parking along there. I remember watching one tow truck after another take the cars away one at a time, not just once but on several occasions.
When did they start enforcing that? I can remember getting a ticket for parking there about 20 years ago. So did they stop and then restart enforcing it in the meantime, or are you talking about long ago?
I don’t know the full history. I remember that it was normal for there to be a line of cars parked along the north side of that access road. Once I wanted to park, noticed the No Parking signs, thought about it a bit, then parked. I figured since there were always cars there and I was only there for a little while I’d probably be fine. And sure enough, no problem.
Then at some point they must have decided they really wanted it cleared out. So they put up some additional signs and got the tow trucks going. They would just go down the whole road towing every vehicle. What I found interesting was that it took a long time before they typically didn’t have anything to do. Once people were in the habit of parking there, they weren’t dissuaded by nobody else being there.
So I can’t say they ever didn’t enforce at all, but at one time it was little enough that it was normal to see cars parked. Perhaps at one time they just swung by a couple of times a day and ticketed only; UW tickets aren’t even very expensive so I can imagine somebody not caring if they occasionally get one. Now I think they have somebody constantly roving around campus enforcing parking, so I suspect every location gets covered several times a day, and I assume they will tow anything that is considered a fire route (i.e., it’s not just that you haven’t paid to park in a legitimate spot).
What’s funny is I actually think UW doesn’t have enough short term close parking. They have very cheap parking for employees who park all day every day, and reasonable to moderately expensive parking for people who park all day or a portion of a day occasionally, but almost nothing for people who just need 30 minutes or an hour and would benefit by being closer to their destination. If it were up to me I’d just get rid of the parking pass system and the seniority system for deciding who gets to use which lots and use an SFPark-like system everywhere. Desireable locations and times would simply be expensive, with no special rules about who gets to park where and when.