Recently I received this email at SOHOTAMPA.COM.
Hey, Mr. Bill! I’ve got a question. Some friends and I were sitting on the deck at the Deck on Friday 10 June. While enjoying our pizzas, we noticed the parking lot at the former Porky’s laundry filling up with various cars and suvs. Then the tow trucks started to arrive. This business is closed. There is very limited parking in hyde park, especially on Friday nites when everyone wants to pub crawl or have dinner. The question is, why would the owners of an extinct business care if their parking were used for the benefit of all??? It just seems to me that most of the businesses that are located in hyde park are here for a reason. And the reason is high pedestrian volume($)! It is pointless that someone with all that unused space would limit access to the property. And, if that is the case, why is there not a fence around the property to keep everyone out???Also, this towing company only took the nicest cars. While on the deck, we noticed a mercedes and 2 bmw’s being towed. The chevy and ford suvs were left behind and not touched while we were there. Maybe they took the high end cars knowing that those owners would most likely get their cars out of hock before an older pos jalopy? Just curious as to your take on the matter. Kevin
Dear Kevin, It has amazed me to see the tow trucks zoom around the neighborhood like sharks in a kid's wading pool. With a cost of over $200 to get your car out of their hands and the total inconvenience of trying to figure out who has it and where it has gone; towing has become a big profit maker for some, and a big headache for others. What is the solution ?
Parking garages, mass transit, a little more give and take from neighbors, better city controls in not allowing new businesses and residences without adequate parking, or all of the above ?
We have raised this issue before ... and will again. We welcome your comments on this issue.
Finding Tampa's Treasures ! This is the Editorial Section for TAMPAGOLD.COM and SOHOTAMPA.COM. We not only welcome your comments, we encourage them.
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8 comments:
I live on Westland Avenue (one street East of Howard). On Friday evenings, I can not park at my own apartment because so many people have taken our spaces and then walked over to Mac Dinton's. I can hardly drive down the street because people have parked wherever they can fit a car, sometimes even blocking alley driveways! Maybe if some of these businesses that close down at night/over weekends would allow for paid parking on their lots, then people who live close to the bars could actually park where they live. Until then, we have to deal with our spaces being taken up by people who don't stumble back to their cars 'til 3 AM. (And they are NEVER quiet!)
Just an FYI regarding towing- If you are planning to park at Kash-n-Karry on Swan and Howard to go out for the evening, DON'T! They do not have signs up, but tow every car in their parking lot promptly at 3:00 a.m. I have since boycotted that and every Kash-n-Karry, as it cost me $200 to get my car out of impound.
On Towing, some time ago I got towed after playing a long night at MacDinton's. As always the lot across the street was full of cars from the MacDinton's patrons and out of respect for Barry and the club at the time the bands would park elsewhere, including across the street. The business that is there is closed at night and it was never a problem in the past. So after a long night I came out to find my sportscar towed, and realized quickly that all of the money I had made for the night was paying for me to get my car back! I think the property owner splits the cash with the tow company, but that is just my two cents. I think it would be safer to have cars in a vacant lot than clogging the streets, but obviously some people find this area a cash cow. Since then I have seen the feeding frenzy of tow truck drivers, where does it end? Parking Garages? Parking lots? The problem is the same people that bitch that your in their vacant lot will be the people that will bitch at city council that they don't want a garage, so really you just can't win. Businesses in that area need people in the door to survive and if they keep getting towed that will diminish that! Again, just my two cents.
I live in a condo on Westland Avenue and try when I can to inform those parking in towing zones. I only wish they would be as considerate when parking in my 'reserved' space, or talking/screaming at the top of their lungs at 3AM outside my bedroom window!
I parked on Moody outside of a doctor's office ON THE STREET. When I got to my car at around 2:00 am I was told that it would be fifty dollars to get my car down. I have recently moved and my address is not the same as the address on my registration. He wouldn't give me my car! So, I had to drive out I-4 to pay triple the next day... The driver had said that I was parked IN the parking lot (which happened to be gated AND locked) and eventually we got our money back. It was such an ordeal!
I LIVE ON TAMPANIA AVE, JUST OFF FROM AZEELE. ( DIRECTLY BEHIND THE LOFT TOWNHOUSES) ON FRIDAY NIGHTS, ITS UNREAL FOR US TO EVEN GET TO OUR HOME, LET ALONE TRY TO FIND A PLACE TO PARK. EVERYONE PARKS EVERY WHICH WAY THEY CAN, BLOCKING THE STREET ACCESS, DRIVEWAYS, OUR OFFSTREET PARKING SPACES, ETC... SOMETHING HAS TO BE DONE... CAUSE WE ARE SO TIRED OF THE PARKING ISSUES AND THE LOUD SCREAMING AND LAUGHING AT 3AM AS WELL. ITS HARD, WITH A 3 YEAR OLD GETTING AWAKEN AT ALL HOURS OF THE NIGHT. WE CHOSE TO BUY IN HYDE PARKE, CAUSE WE LOVE THE AREA AND THE ATMOSPHERE. WE ARE NOW DECIDING TO SELL AND MOVE OUT..
ITS A SHAME, WE ARE A YOUNG PROFESSIONAL COUPLE WITH A SMALL CHILD, AND NOW ARE FORCED TO MOVE TO MORE RESIDENTIAL AREAS....
SAD, BUT TRUE!!!!!!!
For all of you who choose to live in South Tampa, and have to deal with these parking issues, I say you deserve the problems. You tout how wonderful it is to live in "SOHO", trust me, this is not what SOHO is, it doesn't even come close. SOHO is a culture, it is a frame of mind, full of artists, free spirits and a way of life. The residents of South Tampa have made this monster by opening more and more bars and other commercial entities, thus causing your traffic and parking problems. Move some of these businesses into downtown, make our downtown a real downtown. You tear down homes and build more and bigger condos, townhouses, houses, etc, and then you complain about the noise and parking. I don't go to South Tampa unless I am forced to. I have more restaurants, nightspots and shopping areas in other parts of the city without having to go south of house. And remember.......the south part of the city may be trendy, but it's always uptown that has the best addresses.
If you don't like the parking situation, move elsewhere. If I come and spend money in your little yuppie enclave, you shouldn't bitch about where I legally park.
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