City Council Passes Towing Bill of Rights

The "Lincoln Park Pirates" lot at 4882 North Clark

Yesterday a lot of legislation was passed during the City Council's meeting, including the Towing Bill of Rights, co-sponsored by Ald. Ameya Pawar and "inspired" by Uptown's Lincoln Towing.

It will require tow drivers to have dash-cam cameras and record their tows; take a photo of the position a vehicle is in before it's towed; file a list of locations from which the company is authorized to tow; and many other restrictions (see The Expired Meter for details). We hope it also means the drivers won't scream out unprovoked homophobic slurs or injure people during the towing of their cars.

As for the petition many signed asking to have Lincoln Towing's license revoked, it's a state matter and they are currently being investigated by the Illinois Commerce Commission.

Steve Goodman sang in 1973:

Be it Edsel or Chevy there's no car too heavy
And no one can make us shut down

Maybe, just maybe, that won't be true after the investigation by the ICC concludes.

Our thanks to Alds. Pawar and Reboyras for coming up with the Towing Bill of Rights. Ald. Pawar said, "Tow truck companies need to exist. They just need to learn how to behave. And they need to do it in a way that’s not abusive or criminal."