KSAC teams up with the police to rein in illegal parking

The Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation (KSAC) has joined the Island Special Constabulary Force (ISCF) in an all out effort to rein in motorists who continue to park illegally in the Corporate Area.

Kingston's Mayor, Desmond McKenzie, says the revamped towing system introduced on Monday morning, will not focus mainly on increasing revenues.

Mr. McKenzie said the KSAC responded to numerous complaints from motorists who felt they were not being treated fairly by the tow truck operators assigned to the Municipality.

Mr. McKenzie says following a two month suspension, the KSAC spearheaded meetings with stakeholders and outlined expectations going forward.

The Mayor says the new look system has seen the addition of two truck operators, and the discontinuation of services with another two.

He says the KSAC is determined to prevent the lawlessness involved in previous parking and towing operations.  

“All the areas where parking is not permitted where we have re-marked and put in ‘no parking’ signs so that persons cannot say that they weren’t aware that this area was not designated for parking,” he said.

The Mayor said investigations uncovered a scheme in downtown Kingston where a physically challenged man was renting his parking sticker daily to motorists.

The information has been turned over to the police.

In the meantime, Mayor McKenzie says gone are the days when motorists engage traffic wardens and tow truck operators in a move to prevent their vehicles from being towed.

“Once the vehicle is mounted on the truck it cannot release the vehicle on spot. The vehicle must be taken to the pound and thereafter any consideration will be given but they do not have that authority to let off the vehicle at the location. That authority is vested only in the pound clerk, myself or the City Treasurer or the Superintendent,” he said. 

Mayor McKenzie says tow trucks are affixed with the Corporation's logo and warned the public that towing operations will be conducted Mondays to Saturdays between nine am and four pm.

And the KSAC is to introduce the clamping of illegally-parked motor vehicles.

Mayor McKenzie says the Corporation is currently unable to deal with the hundreds of parking violations in the Corporate Area.

Mr. McKenzie says the KSAC is far advanced with its project to introduce the clamping of vehicles.

“Because with the amount of violations that are taking place on the streets as it relates to parking, we don’t have enough wreckers out there to deal with the problem. Clamping is going to become a reality very soon in the Corporate Area, there are some particular areas of concern where we are going to be concentrating our efforts,” Mayor McKenzie said.
For his part, ISCF Deputy Commandant, James Golding, is urging members of the public to co-operate.

“We just want to encourage them to abide by the rules and the laws and to say that yes we are fully onboard with this venture by the KSAC and just to clear up a little ambiguity, the fact that the KSAC is not there outside of the nine a.m. to four p.m. period does not mean that if you break the law, if you park in a no parking area or if you leave your vehicle in a manner that is likely to obstruct traffic that it might not be towed,” Mr. Golding said.

He is reminding members of the public that in the absence of KSAC wardens, the ISCF will be vigorously pursuing motorists who flout parking laws.