Decatur Amends Booting Ordinance
Decatur Metro | March 2, 2010After much recent noise – on both this site and around the community – the Decatur City Commission added new details to the city’s booting ordinance at its meeting last night. These amendments look to deal with “issues of interpretation of certain portions of the ordinance in regards to signage placement and visibility.”
Here’s a summary of the four “amendments” (page 19 of the supplemental materials) suggested by the Decatur Police Department (by way of City Manager Peggy Merriss) and approved by the commission…
First, we want to address the issue of placing signs at both the entrance and exit to the parking deck so that persons who may not have seen the signs are given warning as the leave the lot as a pedestrian. This should give the parker ample notice to return to their vehicle and either pay for the parking or remove their car.
Second, we want to make sure that the sign sare visible from each parking space so that parkers are also given notice when they pull into a space. Previously this section was undefined and we were having difficulty enforcing a consistent standard.
Third, we have defined a standard size for each sign along with the size of the lettering on the sign.
Fourth, for private lots that use booting devices at night, the signs have to be reflective grade and illuminated if outside of headlight rage.
The last amendment clarifies that if a lot charges for parking and will be using booting devices, than a receipt must be provided for the parked vehicle. This will address issues where persons have claimed to out money in a box but then the attendant claims that there is no payment.
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Phew. Between you and me, just PHEW!!
i like these amendments, especially the receipt requirement. the practical effect will be to shut down booting operations that aren’t willing to fork out the extra investment for a machine that prints receipts at the time of payment. and it cuts down on the risk of fraud, since a receipt is proof that you paid. good work commission!
Ok, this looks like a reasonable regulation but I am wondering if a parking lot owner can’t boot cars without installing a machine to print a receipt or hiring an attendant, is it permissible for the parking lot owners to just have the cars towed from the lot instead?
I would say yes or else someone could park in a pay lot, not pay, and leave it there forever and the lot owner could not remove the car.
This new ordinance will make towing cars much more common in Decatur.
Do like the receipt component of this. Was going to go to Peachtree Running store but the sign was unclear if I had to pay to park being a customer so I just kept on driving.
So regarding the Bank of America lot on Clairmont and Commerce, it seems like it’s a good spot to park on weekends, and I’ve never seen cars there get booted. Has anyone had that happen?