It is an unforsaken land many Ohio State students rather not embark upon – the towing lot.
The scenario of the tow lot blues is actually quite a simple process. Park the car illegally, walk away for a moment and return to find the dreaded sight of a tow-truck.
Although the off-campus housing for OSU students has grown volumes in past decades, the parking space has not. This has forced students to utilize what parking resources they can find.
J.R. Wright, a driving supervisor at the Campus Towing Service, said he understands the students’ frustrations, but is left with only one option when a car is parked illegally.
“I sympathize with the fact college students live on a tight budget and can’t afford the charges of a towing, but they have to understand, if they park illegally they are in the playing field of tow trucks. What would they do if I parked in their driveway?” Wright said.
“If we didn’t tow the cars, there would be such a panic and parking frenzy on campus. We are just doing our jobs and servicing the community,” he said.
Each year, Brian Brady, the manager of Shamrock Towing, estimates nearly 3,500 automobiles from the campus area are taken away by towing companies throughout the Columbus vicinity.
In adherence to Ohio’s state code, each towing company is required to charge a $90 fee, and an additional $12 each day the car remains in the lot. Some students have been able to avoid these charges if their car is on the tow truck, but hasn’t left yet by paying a $40 fee.
Sheena Mismas, a junior in human nutrition and dietetics, found herself in a predicament after momentarily leaving her car in a tow-away zone. Mismas was forced to argue with the driver for nearly an hour before the driver released her car, and said she was extremely skeptical of the $40 fee the driver attempted to charge her.
“The driver said that the only way I could get my car back was to pay him $40, which I thought he was just planning to pocket,” Mismas said. “I was able to convince him, but it was really obnoxious that he tried to charge me $40 for something that takes a couple of seconds to unhook.”
Tow-truck drivers are initially required to call their main office each time they site an illegally parked vehicle before beginning the towing process. Wright said this is a key operative to maintaining the proper monitoring of each driver, to ensure drivers’ are not pocketing money for themselves.
“I’ve heard stories about drivers charging $40 to get their car back, which isn’t legal considering it violates state code,” Wright said. “But I can verify that none of my drivers have performed such dishonest acts because they are required to call before each towing, and bring back a valid receipt. We are in contact with them from the time they find the car, till the time they pull it in the lot.”
Wright said he wants the public to understand his company is only doing its job and is not the culprit behind the real issue of needing more areas designated for parking.
“I know nobody likes seeing the dentist, so I guess I’m just like a dentist who needs to perform my little, yet painful job on the necessary people,” Wright said.
