The new towing regulations Carrboro Aldermen are currently considering are a great step to addressing predatory towing practices.
However such revisions could be flawed, and Carrboro leadership would better serve their constituents by adding caveats and specificity to some of the proposed policies.
Adoption of a proposed “15 minute rule” within town limits would require towing services to wait that amount of time before they tow vehicles parked illegally. However taken to an extreme, this policy could be applied to any space in town, which could clog traffic ways or damage public space.
There must be some demarcation between where it is acceptable to park illegally for this short amount of time and where it will only become a public nuisance.
There is definitely a space for this policy in Carrboro as predatory towing has been a very talked about issue in the past years and officials should try any viable solution to quell its controversy.
However, a sense of pragmatism must be brought to the policy by limiting it to only certain lots and wide streets which would be clearly marked.
This policy could work in certain spaces and ease the lives of many people running quick errands, however it would be extremely foolish to apply it to the town in general.
