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November 20, 2006
Rank and File
by Nova Stubbs, insurgent49
   
No Parking

    Parking in downtown Anchorage is not only a rip off, but it may be cause for even greater concerns. Many times I have heard friends complain about the parking in the downtown area. They are pissed about the high fees in order to park in the first place, the limited amount of time on the meters, and the crazy costs if, God forbid, their car gets towed. And believe it or not, I have had pals get towed while they were attempting to be responsible.

    People head downtown during the day in order to punch in and out of their day jobs, always taking time throughout the day to plug the meter. At night, people often head downtown to do some drinking and have some fun. This is where one of the real problems rears its head.

    Many times, I have heard the frustration from friends who have had one too many beers the night before and decided to take a cab home. They were being safe, and were ultimately penalized for their responsibility. That’s right … they head back downtown the next morning, only to find that their cars are gone.

    And we wonder why we have a drinking and driving problem in Anchorage.

    Furthermore, business owners treat their parking spots like gold, as they are extremely protective of their minimal spaces. My point being that if you see one of those red and white signs that reads: AUTHORIZED PARKING ONLY, do not park there, even if it is only for a minute, because you might just get towed and get slapped with a $275 fee.

   I live downtown and I do not have a car; however, a few days back, my husband and I were in possession of a friend’s vehicle. Approximately 48 hours later, we had one lovely parking ticket for thirty bucks, because we were twenty minutes late moving the car, and we had also paid another twenty for parking fees.

    We were glad to see the car go.
 
    I do understand that there is a parking shortage problem downtown. But, come on … is it really necessary to charge such crazy prices? The fact of the matter is that it comes down to a problem with the city’s infrastructure. If the city does not want people parking downtown, then maybe they should provide a better public transportation system. Hell, I’d be happy with that arrangement.

    Instead, they use Area Wide Towing for enforcement, a local company that screws the common person with excessive fees. Sure, this company also has the ability to find stolen vehicles, but for the most part they are exist to take your money.
 
    Area Wide Towing is a legitimatized collection agency through the State.  But, where is all that money going? And why do they have the right to charge such fees? They are the company that’s called by the Anchorage Parking Authority when a vehicle is parked illegally.

    Is there an under the table deal going on here?

    Anchorage citizens, it is due time that we start asking questions instead of dealing with this silly system that ultimately hurts the people.

   
   

 


      Nova Stubbs is a freelance writer and activist, and is co-founder of Insurgent49. Nova resides in an undisclosed location in downtown Anchorage and may be contacted at nova@insurgent49.com.

     'Rank and File' appears on insurgent49.com every Monday.

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in-sur-gent (in sur'jent), n. 1. a member of a group which revolts against the policies of its leadership.