- Beechnut Park – Houston, TX [Vimeo]
Video: Brian Price
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Video: Brian Price
Sorry man, but don’t park in an alley! There is nothing more annoying then when people park in our alley. Ours is so tight even one car can effectively block the alleyway.
I doubt it matters if it’s posted or not, since it is probably in the deed restrictions for what I’m guessing is a private subdivision… right next to cut your yard weekly. (Though a sign might be a nice reminder)
You can probably park in that last alley since there are garages only on one side of the alley, so all the parking is to the opposite side. When there are garages on both sides people could park on either side thus blocking the alleyway or atleast making getting out tricky.
It can be annoying, but for people who aren’t used to alleys I can understand their lack of “alleyway-etiquette.” And towing someone who is just unloading their car is pretty excessive. I’m glad I have cool neighbors.
The presence or absence in the deed restrictions is irrelevant: parking restrictions require signage. A visitor or potential future resident would have no way of knowing the deed restrictions to that area.
My friend was towed a few years ago from my neighborhood. She took pictures of the lack of signage at the entrance to the neighborhood, presented this in court and won. Two days later, management posted signs on all gates. Good luck with your case.
Personally, if I’m unloading a car in a similar situation, and I KNOW I my car will not be unattended for more than ~20 seconds at a time, I leave the hazard lights on and a door or trunk ajar.
The video is a great testament to the low quality of built environments in these subdivisions. I’m not sure why the people who design them decide to throw out street layout conventions that have evolved over generations which make streets usable in order to build what appears to be a bunch of houses in a parking lot – and which are familiar to people.
The “alleys” in this subdivision appear to simply be additional streets, and there’s no reason to assume different rules for them. Especially with none posted.
I must say that that was obnoxiously excessive of the towing company or resident who called it in.
The towing companies in Houston make a killing towing cars for businesses (including HOAs I suppose) who contract with them to keep their lots clear. The tow trucks gather like vultures on weekend nights waiting for drivers to slip up.
Many of these properties have live cameras installed, so as soon as the no parking times are in effect, the tow truck operators are called to swoop in and haul away the hapless driver’s vehicle. Since their profits depend on the volume of cars towed, I’m not surprised at all that some may take liberties with the parking regulations, and as a result, have towed cars illegally.
Moreover, it seems like there is no regulation on the exorbitant fees they can charge you to recover your vehicle. Since they are effectively given quasi-police powers to confiscate your personal property, I think it’s about time they are more closely regulated or be forced to accept a flat fee for each tow.
http://www.license.state.tx.us/Complaints/
There are a variety of rules regarding towing and how to file a grievance with the state.