What if booting cars was banned in Atlanta?
The Atlanta City Council could vote on a proposed ordinance today that would do just that.
Atlanta City Council members Jennifer Ide and Amir Farokhi introduced the ordinance. They say booting companies have become predatory.
“The booting companies are sitting right there, ready to jump in,” Ide said. “And so somebody literally could have been away from their vehicle for 5 minutes and have the boot thrown on there. And then it cost them $75 to get the boot taken off.”
Ide also said booting companies don’t always have the proper signs to let people know they could get booted.
Under the proposed legislation, parking lot owners could either call a towing company or put a ticket on improperly parked cars.
Jeff Phillips is a co-owner of Advanced Booting Services in Atlanta. He says towing is worse than booting.
“That’s going to create a lot of stress and strain on the police department,” Phillips said. “Because anytime someone gets towed, you walk out, you have no idea your car is towed. You just know your car is gone. So your first reaction is to call 911, ‘my car is gone.’”
Phillips said he would like to see signs changed and updated as well. And would be willing to work with council members to tweak the ordinance.
