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When Citi Bike Eats Your Car You'll Need $250 Cash To Get It Back
By
Lauren Evans
Published Apr 30, 2013
Modified Apr 30, 2013
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By
Lauren Evans
Published Apr 30, 2013
Modified Apr 30, 2013
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Last week, we shared the story of Max Dowaliby, a Chelsea resident who one night went to bed with his car safely parked on Bank Street, only to return the next day to find that it had vanished, replaced instead by a neat row of gleaming new Citi Bike racks.
We've learned since then that Dowaliby's story is far from unique—dozens of victims have lost their cars to the cruel hands of fate Metropolitan Auto Body & Towing, the company contracted by the city to remove vehicles daring to obstruct the installation of The Racks.
Al Ranaudo, who has lived on MacDougal Street for nearly a decade, was so frustrated by the disappearance of his car last Tuesday that he printed signs and hung them around the block, hoping to connect with others who had suffered similar fates. He said in the entire time he's lived here, he's never been towed.
"Film companies shoot on our block five times a year, at a minimum, and I've never missed a sign. I don’t miss signs," he said. "I'm in tune with the parking around here. When you drive, you have to be aware."
Moreover, he doesn't understand why he had to pay $255 to retrieve his car—$190 for the towing, and $65 for the initial ticket—rather than just retrieve it from around the block, as is the case when cars are relocated to make way for film shoots.
"This has never been a problem— we deal with this all the time," he said, adding that in the case of filming, workers post signs containing specific instructions on how to retrieve relocated cars. "Why was this done differently?" he asked.
Marie Torres, a receptionist at Metropolitan Auto Body, said the company has performed more than 30 Citi Bike-related towings in Manhattan alone. She said that as a result of the protests from residents, the company has since begun relocating cars instead of impounding them.
"I think everyone got together and made a big stink, and I don’t blame them—it's ridiculous what they [DOT] did," she said. "They must have gotten fed up with people bitching at them." (Metropolitan Auto Body's owner is on vacation and could not be reached.)
But DOT said there has been no such change in policy. A spokesperson tells us that cars will indeed be relocated, on the condition that there's a place to put them. Otherwise, tough cookies. According to the DOT:
At the time of installation, the towing contractor attempts to relocate vehicles parked in the permitted work zone in all cases. Towing is only necessary in those instances where there is no open curbside parking in the area to allow for relocation. Both Citi Bike and the towing contractor are fully aware of this policy and DOT continues to monitor as station installations continue.
This comes as cold comfort to Ranaudo, who said his car has been relocated for film shoots without incident.
"That’s ridiculous—that doesn’t make any sense to me," he said, adding that he has not heard of any of his friends or neighbors having their cars relocated.
Ranaudo said he has little recourse, since he is unable to prove that there were no signs posted when he left his car. (The DOT said that signs are posted at both 72 hours and 24 hours in advance of rack installation.) He has yet to hear from anyone as a result of his own signs.
Despite his hardship, Ranaudo is a devout bike share fan. "I signed up for a membership a few hours after it opened," he said. "I think it's awesome."
But Torres, who works for the towing company hired by the DOT to facilitate the Citi Bike installation, isn't on board. "These bicycle people make me sick," she told us. "Half of them I want to run over. "
Tagged
bike share
citi bike
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parking
towing
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Lauren Evans
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