When luck runs out!
It has cost me 139 euros and forty-four centimos, plus taxi fare for me to bring you this report.
You have no doubt noticed the gruas, (town hall tow trucks) from time to time picking up cars and bikes that are illegally parked and carting them off. In Valencia double parking is not legal. No matter what people tell you, and regardless of how many people do this, parking alongside a line of cars is not a good thing to do. Normally you would leave the handbrake off, or you would come running when you hear the other driver blowing his horn, but this does not make it legal. It simply makes the practise acceptable among drivers.
In Spain this is the custom and no-one is expected to get angry. This time it’s your turn to have to wait a minute while the other driver comes running. Next time you are the one to slightly inconvenience someone. It all works out, except in the eyes of the City. They employ officers to roam around on their motorcycles to spot the offenders and they call in the tow trucks that pick up your vehicle and leave a sticker on the ground where your car was.
Then you take a taxi to the impound centre where you pay your 91 euros fine plus tow charges of 48.44 euros, and you get your car back. The drivers are careful with your vehicle and usually carry out the tow without damage to your property. It will be an unwelcome bill but you have done wrong. The objective of the City is to keep the roads clear, so, if you have ever doubled-parked and got away with it, count your lucky stars.
However, you should know that one day your luck will run out and on that day you will pay. Incidentally, should you leave your car in the lock-up more than 24 hours you start to run up daily parking fees of 17.43. That is slightly cheaper than parking in a private parking garage.
Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael
It has cost me 139 euros and forty-four centimos, plus taxi fare for me to bring you this report.
You have no doubt noticed the gruas, (town hall tow trucks) from time to time picking up cars and bikes that are illegally parked and carting them off. In Valencia double parking is not legal. No matter what people tell you, and regardless of how many people do this, parking alongside a line of cars is not a good thing to do. Normally you would leave the handbrake off, or you would come running when you hear the other driver blowing his horn, but this does not make it legal. It simply makes the practise acceptable among drivers.
In Spain this is the custom and no-one is expected to get angry. This time it’s your turn to have to wait a minute while the other driver comes running. Next time you are the one to slightly inconvenience someone. It all works out, except in the eyes of the City. They employ officers to roam around on their motorcycles to spot the offenders and they call in the tow trucks that pick up your vehicle and leave a sticker on the ground where your car was.
Then you take a taxi to the impound centre where you pay your 91 euros fine plus tow charges of 48.44 euros, and you get your car back. The drivers are careful with your vehicle and usually carry out the tow without damage to your property. It will be an unwelcome bill but you have done wrong. The objective of the City is to keep the roads clear, so, if you have ever doubled-parked and got away with it, count your lucky stars.
However, you should know that one day your luck will run out and on that day you will pay. Incidentally, should you leave your car in the lock-up more than 24 hours you start to run up daily parking fees of 17.43. That is slightly cheaper than parking in a private parking garage.
Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael
