After more than 60 cars were illegally towed during last year’s Texas-OU game, the City of Dallas is making increased efforts to prevent wrongful towing near the State Fair grounds.
Large red and white signs will mark safe parking lots around Fair Park in Dallas this Saturday for the football game.
At last year’s game, some drivers were flagged into private lots and paid people posing as attendants. Wreckers then came and towed the cars to vehicle storage facilities.
“They were towing cars off of properties [towing companies] didn’t have contracts for,” said Gary Titlow, project manager for the Dallas Transportation Regulation Department. “They forged some of the contracts.”
Most of the wrongful towing was done by Lone Star Auto Services, a Dallas-based towing company. The company received the majority of complaints and the transportation regulation department revoked the company’s permit to operate, Titlow said.
Titlow said the towing company refunded most people who filed complaints in a timely manner, but after their insurance company dropped the towing company and the permit was revoked, the last of the complaints were not honored. A towing company must be insured to operate.
This year, the transportation regulation department, the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation and the Dallas Police Department have teamed up to help monitor the area.
“They are going to be keeping their eyes on tow trucks in the area,” Titlow said. The team will be checking passing tow trucks for proper operating permits.
Parking enforcement will make sure that large signs designating parking are visible and attendants at each lot will carry a personal permit. Titlow urges drivers to check for towing signs along streets and in other private lots before parking, as vehicles blocking the right of way will be towed.
Susan Stanford, spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, reinforced how important it is for fans to pay attention to where they park this weekend.
The department regulates towing operations and vehicle storage facilities for the state. In addition to the trucks themselves, tow truck operators are now required to be licensed.
Operators are given criminal background checks, and most are required to complete continuing education programs to renew their licenses.
“These are classes that go over safety so they keep their skills at the highest level possible,” Stanford said.
Meranda Cohn, spokeswoman for the City of Dallas, said city officials tested this enforcement and investigative team in January for an event at the Cotton Bowl. She said the new process proved successful as there were no complaints of wrongful towing.
There have been no incidents at Fair Park since the fair opened two weeks ago, either.
Instead of driving to the Cotton Bowl, city officials urge crowds to ride the Dallas Area Rapid Transit rail system. Dallas has recently opened the green line, which runs on special hours this weekend for the fair and the game.
For the majority who will be driving, however, Cohn advises to first look for parking in lots on the actual fairground. She said parking would be $10 in these lots, while many private lots will be charging up to $15.
The Daily Texan > State & Local
Careful where you park
Published: Thursday, October 15, 2009
Updated: Thursday, October 15, 2009
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Dallas TexEx
Information about the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) service is at: www.dart.org/statefair
