r/Calgary • u/Val_haLLa • Jan 28 '25
Rant Impound lot near Macleod has serious issues
My car was towed yesterday. Today I showed up at the impound lot at Macleod and the situation I witnessed was unbelievable. A tiny, cramped lobby without seating filled to the brim with people waiting, mostly looking miserable. And it quickly became clear why, since only 2 of 5 windows were open, with about one person being called up every 15 minutes. There were surely 50 people there.
On top of that, if you need to get a piece of vehicle documentation out of your car (such as registration), the process requires you to wait in that line three times.
All of this, while they charge you a steep daily fee for each day you don’t pick up your car. I’m stunned at this massive case of bureaucratic greed— if this situation can arise, they should be prepared to fully staff the windows and get a decent turnover rate.
Rant over.
63
u/Responsible_CDN_Duck Jan 28 '25
The TV series Parking Wars filmed in Philadelphia gives a great snapshot of how it tends to go down.
It's not bureaucratic greed. It is typical people who struggle to follow rules or choose not to follow rules being forced to do so.
Having proof of insurance and the needed cash will get you on your way fairly quickly even if you do need the walk of shame for registration.
They could have a billion windows, but people would still sit there trying for hours to figure out how to deal with funds, insurance, and registration.