The efforts of a city councilman to crackdown on predatory towing won widespread community support on Sunday.
Pastor Patrick Nupay of the Bethel World Outreach Ministries Church said he backed a proposed law being introduced at tonight’s City Council meeting that would restrict towing from lots that do not accept credit cards or large bills.
“People would come to services and then go outside and find their car was missing,” the pastor said after Sunday afternoon services at his church just a few blocks from the lot the Hamilton Dollar Parking lot targeted by City Councilman Robert Curran’s new bill.
“Even though it is supposed to be free on Sunday, they would end up getting towed and paying several hundred dollars,” Nupay said. “Oftentimes, the church would have to pay because people can’t afford it, and they also can’t afford not to have their car.”
With dozens of congregants towed during church services, the lot has cost the church thousands of dollars, Nupay said.
Curran’s proposed law arose from complaints by members of the Hamilton business community, a Northeast Baltimore shopping center located in his district. Business owners complained to Curran that aggressive tow truck drivers were hooking up patrons’ cars while they searched for change to pay parking fees.
“I got a lot of calls that people were being hooked up within minutes while trying to find quarters to pay for parking,” Curran said.
The machine on the Hamilton Avenue lot takes only quarters. Curran’s law would force commercial parking lots to accept credit cards and large bills, or lose the right to tow.
On Sunday, many congregants expressed support for the bill, including Ester Kaggna, who said she ended up searching for her car in the rain on a cold Wednesday evening several months ago.
“I went into Bible study group, and then my car was gone,” she said. “They wanted me to pay $280.”
But Robert Pollard, the owner of Pollard Towing whose company is responsible for towing cars off the lot, said residents must realize the lot no longer is free.
“I think the problem at that particular lot is that it used to be free and people still think it is free,” he said. “Generally, I don’t think they believe they’re going to be towed, and are reacting to that rather than the way we tow cars or why a car was towed.”
