City needs to get tough on street-sweep towing
Frustrated residents have called my attention to the fact that the city’s current street cleaning program is sweeping up more than just our streets and parkways — it is cleaning out the wallets of Boston residents scrambling to retrieve their missing cars.
While everyone can agree on clean streets, we should not be allowing the tow companies to make millions off our backs.
City officials have given independent tow companies free reign to seize thousands of cars each month to the tune of millions. This year’s street cleaning program began in April. By the end of August, over 20,000 cars had been towed. The private tow companies contracted by the city bank $100 for each towed car, and collected over $2 million in a little over four months.
These statistics are evidence that the towing companies are excessively and aggressively going after residents. The towing problem is most severe in densely populated neighborhoods like the South End, Roxbury and South Boston, suggesting that private companies might be focusing their attention in the areas that will give them the most dollars per mile.
Beyond the financial burden on individuals, the City of Boston itself is missing out on the opportunity to collect a fair share of those funds to provide property tax relief, strengthen low-performing schools, or combat our persisting street violence.
Exacerbating the matter is the fact that many street signs are ill-kept or missing and confusing street cleaning schedules often vary from street to street — or even on different sides of the same street. It is imperative that city officials determine if the current program can be modified.
The towing issue has struck a nerve with a large number of people who live and work in Boston. I heard from a mother who had to chase her car down a street, all the while holding her two young kids, in a vain attempt to retrieve her car and bring her children to day care. Another story came from a grieving man who spent an afternoon at his deceased brother’s house picking out an outfit for the burial. When he went outside, his car was gone.
Meanwhile, another man came home early from working the graveyard shift after a round of chemotherapy left him too weary to complete the shift. Much to his surprise and dismay, he discovered that his car was towed because he lost track of the early morning street cleaning schedule.
Councilor Bill Linehan and I called for a hearing to determine if the current street cleaning program can be tailored in a way that ensures clean streets without bankrupting residents. A public dialogue about towing is one step towards creating a balanced street cleaning program. It is the city’s responsibility to employ a reasonable street cleaning program that keeps our streets clean and protects its residents from onerous fines and abusive, punitive towing practices.
Michael Flaherty
City Councilor At-Large
