Parking lot pirates enjoy easy pickings
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by David DaSilva |
Columns
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In other cities, the image of underworld characters is that of a sneering Joe Pesci.
And that's the face of some of Richmond's more unscrupulous parking lot operators and tow truck drivers.
I'm getting paranoid of these pirates of the parking lots ever since a colleague found out that spies watch over their acres of asphalt, cell phone in hand, ready to call in the local tow truck driver at the first sign of a broken rule.
My car-tow-a-phobia increases every time I come across those confusing parking signs. At one local strip mall a sign on the store-front wall states customers have one hour to shop. Thirty feet away (in the same lot, mind you) is another sign posted on a light pole that states customers can stay for three hours. Over by the bank (still in the same lot) is a row of 15-minute-only signs. At the convenience store at the other end are more 15-minute signs.
There's a whole new set of rules in the strip mall across the road, and kitty-corner to that, a completely mad parking lot where each store claims a row of stalls, forcing drivers to move their car from stall to stall as they shop the mall.
It's no wonder then that I've become addicted to the dreadful suburban habit of "mall-hopping." That's when I have to park in front of the 7-Eleven to buy, say, some gum, then hop back into my car to park across the street to buy a ham sandwich at Subway, and, since I'm always seem to be out of scotch tape, I can't just hop over to London Drugs. Instead, I must get back in the car and drive down No. 3 Road, turn left at Alderbridge Way, left again onto the Frontage Road, then enter the always-busy parking lot at London Plaza.
I've heard of near-fist fights at fast food joints and seen store staff finking on errant drivers. But there may be a way out of this madness.
The city needs to act on its longtime proposal to set up a "parking commission." The first step is to get on with building a city-owned parkade in the town centre. Park all day. Shop anywhere. Thumb your nose at the pirates. Good start.
The city has to loosen the stranglehold those pirates have here, because things are getting ugly out there.
