We are still having problems with people parking in the Fire Lane. Yesterday, someone had a party and many of their guests decided to park in the Fire Lane, when there was plenty of parking available in front of the Office but they were apparently too tired to walk a short distance. A number of cars were parked on both sides of the Fire Lane and several tow trucks were called, resulting in a few cars being towed; others were only released after the owner paid a “drop fee” of about $130.00. The full tow charge is around $300.00.
Excalibur Towing has stepped up random patrols throughout the subdivision and is closely monitoring things. If you park your vehicle in our Fire Lanes, you do so at your own risk and at your own expense.
The City’s Municipal Code states:
No person shall park, stop or leave standing any non-emergency vehicle, either attended or unattended, within any portion of the fire lane.
Unless you fit into one of the following three conditions, you are NOT an emergency vehicle and will be towed at your expense:
a. Vehicles assigned to the fire department that are engaged in emergency activities.
b. Police department or other law enforcement vehicles on official business.
c. Ambulance vehicles on emergency calls.
That is good news. I arrived home from work only to have a vehicle blocking entry to my carport. The person parked there to go talk to someone at the pool.
If this happens during normal Office hours, you can call and let Terry know. She is authorized to call the Towing company.
I see this as a plus. Constantly having issues navigating through narrow streets here because someone has cars parked there for whatever reason.
However it brings to mind a few questions. What does one do if they are moving and loading a truck that will not fit under the carport awning? What do you do if the furniture delivery ppl need to deliver furniture or something to your house and do not plan on being there any longer than necessary to do so?
We also have people parking 3 vehicles in places were 2 were meant to be parked; these people have possession of 5-6 vehicles at one address. What happens is when your neighbor has 2 vehicles to park in their space , it makes it difficult to get out of their vehicles due to the 3 cars next door. I also believe it is a risk factor for the carport itself as if you hit a pole trying to SQUEEZE 3 cars in, that endangers everyone else’s property; these places were made for 2 cars, NOT 3. In our case there is excess overflow parking along the wooded area that could otherwise be used, but is not by a few.
The short answer is that delivery trucks and moving trucks are not emergency vehicles. While we usually allow them an amount of time to do their business, it is still a violation of Municipal Codes. Should any law enforcement officer see them, these vehicles can be towed and/or impounded.
For your next question, as long as these 3 vehicles are parked on their property, there is not much we can do about it. AS long as they are on concrete, they are OK as far as the City is concerned. Many people here have bent carport supports, so I doubt that the carport will collapse. That being said, if this concerns you, have your landlord contact us and we will address this.