18 December 2011

Towing cars from ACT Government Carparks?

| lore
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I park my car in an ACT government carpark off Chandler Street in Belconnen. It’s $4.50 a day, and the cheapest parking near my work.

Friday afternoon I come to my car to find it has written on the tire in chalk “TOW”. I didn’t have a parking ticket, so I can assume if there was a parking inspector they saw my ticket for where I paid for the parking. It was displayed clearly on my dashboard.

I called Canberra Connect, who said that there was nobody available in “Parking Operations” to speak to me but the woman on the phone seemed quite perplexed to why I would have that written on my car tyre when I had a) paid for parking and b) didn’t have a parking ticket.

Any thoughts as to why this would happen? Can they tow cars from ACT Government paid parking? Especially when I had paid for parking all day.

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Henry82 said :

poetix said :

What is this product? I can’t find any information on it. Are you making it up? Why would anyone want to brand toys? ( If the answer is too disturbing, please don’t give details.)

Jack Daniels, not Beam, my mistake.

http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/western-australia/bourbon-branding-brain-snap/story-e6frg153-1226224707250

afaik you use them to brand the meat you cook?

The branding irons come with clear instructions and warnings. The three blokes must be part of the 46%.

Waiting For Godot said :

Y’all better watch out about this. Formerly free car parks are being privatised and parking fees now apply. Specifically the Phillip Marketplace carpark which now has nasty signs warning everybody to buy a ticket and “don’t take the risk”.

I can’t imagine the Salvos being very happy about the less fortunate now being told to cough up for parking outside their store.

You don’t pay for under two hours, but you still do have to get a ticket. The machines will dispense two hour parking tickets without having to put money in them.

TheDancingDjinn12:10 am 27 Dec 11

If people use that thing to brand themselves and get really badly hurt – i say, suck a giant fat wang! How stupid of a person would you have to be to do that kind of thing to yourself? – God! reminds me of the 90’s when the young thought it was a great idea to heat up a lighter for 5 mins or more and jam it on their own, or their friend’s arm’s. Called it a “smiley” if my memory seves, kids at my school had them and i remember thinking they were sick in the mind.

Deref said :

Waiting For Godot said :

Y’all better watch out about this.

Well hush my mouth – I do declare!

I think this one has gone whoosh Mr Butler.

Henry82 said :

TheDancingDjinn said :

I am usually one for humour – but I think i might need some explination as to why this would be a funny thing to do?.

perhaps they were bored, had some chalk, and saw an opportunity? then just stand 100m away and watch people’s reactions?

3 people were hospitalised over the weekend by branding themselves with Jim Beam toy branders. I don’t think the average joe is too clever.

Where’s Constable Kenny Koala when you need him.

poetix said :

What is this product? I can’t find any information on it. Are you making it up? Why would anyone want to brand toys? ( If the answer is too disturbing, please don’t give details.)

Jack Daniels, not Beam, my mistake.

http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/western-australia/bourbon-branding-brain-snap/story-e6frg153-1226224707250

afaik you use them to brand the meat you cook?

Waiting For Godot said :

Y’all better watch out about this.

Well hush my mouth – I do declare!

Henry82 said :

3 people were hospitalised over the weekend by branding themselves with Jim Beam toy branders. I don’t think the average joe is too clever.

What is this product? I can’t find any information on it. Are you making it up? Why would anyone want to brand toys? ( If the answer is too disturbing, please don’t give details.)

Waiting For Godot3:59 pm 26 Dec 11

Y’all better watch out about this. Formerly free car parks are being privatised and parking fees now apply. Specifically the Phillip Marketplace carpark which now has nasty signs warning everybody to buy a ticket and “don’t take the risk”.

I can’t imagine the Salvos being very happy about the less fortunate now being told to cough up for parking outside their store.

TheDancingDjinn said :

I am usually one for humour – but I think i might need some explination as to why this would be a funny thing to do?.

perhaps they were bored, had some chalk, and saw an opportunity? then just stand 100m away and watch people’s reactions?

3 people were hospitalised over the weekend by branding themselves with Jim Beam toy branders. I don’t think the average joe is too clever.

TheDancingDjinn12:13 am 26 Dec 11

Henry82 said :

Classified said :

Sounds like someone jerking your chain.

+1 just someone having a laugh at your expense. If your car is legally parked, you have nothing to fear

I am usually one for humour – but I think i might need some explination as to why this would be a funny thing to do?.

GordonResidential10:29 pm 25 Dec 11

Classified said :

Sounds like someone jerking your chain.

Einstein has not worked that out. 🙂

Classified said :

Sounds like someone jerking your chain.

+1 just someone having a laugh at your expense. If your car is legally parked, you have nothing to fear

Sounds like someone jerking your chain.

HHR said :

I too work in Belconnen, and know some people who park around near the flats and houses oppposite the carpark you are talking about. Apparently there is some funny stuff going on at the moment and people have had the same thing written on their car tyres in chalk. We thought it might be someone from the flats trying to scare or intimidate them. It doesn’t seem like it is official. If you park in the paid private parking without buying a ticket you normally just get a parking fine, so I doubt they would suddenly jump to the extremes of towing cars – especially if they’ve paid for a ticket.
I think you should call the parking lots owners and just let them know what is going on.

Thanks HHR. Interesting to know it is happening in the car parking across the road. I believe the car parks over near the apartments are free or time limited, so it may well be the owners.

I will definately call the car park owners and make it clear that I don’t like things like that written on my car when I have clearly paid for parking! Maybe then they will act and sort out what is going on. I’m sure they wouldn’t want that written on cars in their carpark, it would only encourage people to park somewhere else.

I too work in Belconnen, and know some people who park around near the flats and houses oppposite the carpark you are talking about. Apparently there is some funny stuff going on at the moment and people have had the same thing written on their car tyres in chalk. We thought it might be someone from the flats trying to scare or intimidate them. It doesn’t seem like it is official. If you park in the paid private parking without buying a ticket you normally just get a parking fine, so I doubt they would suddenly jump to the extremes of towing cars – especially if they’ve paid for a ticket.
I think you should call the parking lots owners and just let them know what is going on.

lore said :

In that case if it is not an ACT government carpark, can they tow my car if I have paid for my parking? I’m just worried that someone is not looking properly for the tickets, and once the car is towed it’s a lot of trouble when I’ve done the right thing & paid.

I’m very curious to know too. I guess you look for the operator’s contact details on the blue sign or the ticket. Until @bd84’s post I always thought anything with those signs and machines was a government one.

Well, whichever carpark it is, there is a pay parking machine in the carpark, and signs indicating you must pay for parking. I was in the carpark, not near the street. I may have mistaken it for an ACT government carpark when it was privately owned, but the ticket I bought was definately for where I was parked. And the machines look exactly the same as the ACT government machines. The carpark itself is next to the gymnastics centre, not in their carpark, but just next to it.

In that case if it is not an ACT government carpark, can they tow my car if I have paid for my parking? I’m just worried that someone is not looking properly for the tickets, and once the car is towed it’s a lot of trouble when I’ve done the right thing & paid.

Possibly @lore is talking about the privately operated car park on the East side of Chandler St, just north of the Canberra City Gymnastics Club on the College St corner, or the group behind it on the same block. Blue conditions signs, ticket machines, looks govvy to the casual observer.

Also an indication is paying $4.50 when the cheapest government parking rate in belco is $6.50 for the full day.

There is no ACT government parking on chandler st, other than some short stay mostly on street. I would say you may have mistakenly parked in a private car park and used a parking machine nearby which had nothing to do with where you parked. That may be why you’re car was down to be towed.. They don’t tow cars from government owned carparks, unless it abandoned for weeks.

The carpark at the corner of Swanson St and Chandler St? It could have been one of the construction workers, especially if you were in the corner very close to Chandler St.

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