By ARIELLA MONTI
While the city council held a public hearing on the subject on June 2 and heard from residents, business owners and tow truck drivers, the council moved to vote on the legislation at its next meeting on June 16 to consider the public’s comments and make needed changes.
If passed, the resolution would call for ample signs that includes the name of the tow operator, contact information and towing and storage fees. It would also require the parking lot owner or business manager to sign an consent form before the car is towed away.
According to City Manager Charles Theofan, various towing companies are hired by parking lot owners to remove any car that is illegally parked on their property. Tow truck operators remove these cars as they see them without the knowledge of the property owner.
Among the common locations for such towing is the lot at Blockbuster, at 220 E. Park Ave., and the Burger King lot at 2 E. Park Ave. Motorists who park in these lots but don’t patronize Blockbuster or Burger King are immediately towed.
Christina Santos, a resident and business owner in Long Beach, said that she was almost towed in the Blockbuster lot after running into a nearby liquor store. She said her purchase took about three minutes and when he emerged from the store her car was already hooked up.
“He must have been looking,” Santos said.
“ ... He didn’t know if I went to get wine and then a movie. He just assumed and picked up my car.”
Santos said she scrambled to find an ATM to pay the driver, who worked for Tows By Us of Island Park, $75 in cash to unhook her car. She admitted to failing to see the no-parking signs in the lot, but now she refuses to patronize any stores in that area.
Likewise for Lido resident Kathleen Perry, after she was nearly towed by another Tows By Us driver. Perry said she took her three-year-old son to rent a movie at Blockbuster and opted to head to a nearby bakery first for some cookies, believing that so long as she eventually stepped into Blockbuster she was following the rules.
As Perry’s car was on the tow, she emerged from the store and pleaded with the driver who demanded $75 in cash before releasing the car. “It was just completely obscene,” said Perry of the incident. “I was punished as a result of trying to give business to a merchant.”
Council member Lenny Remo suggested that there be a time limit on how long a driver patronizes another business before the tow operator decides he or she is parking illegally. Remo noted that there should be some leeway if a customer runs into a deli to purchase a newspaper before heading into Blockbuster or Burger King.
“Everybody knows we tow there,” said Tows by Us owner Joe Pastori at the council meeting.
Pastori noted the he has seen people leave the property after parking their car right in front of the no-parking sign. He also said if a parking lot is full and the operators wait 10 minutes to see if a driver will return, during that time other customers will be deterred from shopping there.
“Once you’re off the property, we don’t know what your intentions are,” said Pastori.
In answer to questions about his payment system, Pastori told the council that his company charges $10 more in Long Beach than the rate he has with the Town of Hempstead. He said the rates depend on many factors, including the kind of tow truck used.
Pastori added that the company uses cash because often when he tries to cash a check or run a credit card, the check has been canceled and the credit card company is disputing the charge.
Theofan said he will look into regulating the fees the companies charge. “There was a lot of ambiguity at the meeting as to what it did cost for them to unhook a car,” commented Theofan.
“The reality is it’s private property, there are signs up all over the place,” said Theofan of the issue. “Maybe we need to improve the signage so there’s no question that people know if you leave your car unattended, the lot is under constant surveillance and it will be towed.”
Theofan admitted that there are realities that Pastori brought up at the meeting that he agrees with but, he said, “I do believe that we have a duty to protect the person that’s just not thinking — that just doesn’t have the ill intent.”
The city council will revisit the topic again at the council’s June 16 meeting.
Comments about this story? JKellard@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 213.
