San Francisco Supervisor Seeks App To Keep Drivers From Being Towed
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) — Having your car towed in San Francisco is a pricey proposition. Supervisor David Chiu has asked the San Francisco Police Department, the Department of Public Works and transportation officials to help find ways to prevent drivers from being towed.
Chiu's legislation, introduced at the Board of Supervisors this week, follows up with a similar effort he made last year. The supervisor asked city officials and police to provide data necessary to develop an app that would alert motorists with smartphones that they are parked in a tow-away zone.
"In 2011, I heard from dozens of constituents who were upset to wake up on a Sunday morning that coincided with Sunday Streets to find that their cars had been towed when they didn't see the notice posted a few days before," said Chiu.
SF Supervisor Seeks To Speed App Development To Relieve Drivers From Being Towed
Chiu has said his repeated inquiries about developing an app have been ignored.
About 150 private vehicles are towed in San Francisco every day. A tow, not including storage for the vehicle, can cost a driver more than $450.
Paul Rose from the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency said data is being collected, but that it is a slow process.
"After we pull information from multiple agencies around the city, we expect to release this information around the fall of this year," Rose said.
Rose said the city has technology that can be used to help people avoid being towed. He said towing should only be used to ensure public safety or to speed traffic during peak periods, not just to generate revenue.
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