No More Towing for Illegally Parked Vehicles: Wenzhou Implements Reporting System Starting July
According to a report by the Urban Express based on information from the Wenzhou Evening News and Legal Daily, recently when Officer Xiao of the Wenzhou Traffic Police Brigade discovered an illegally parked car on the road once again, he did not call for a tow truck as usual. Instead, he attached a notice of illegal parking on the windshield of the car and then quietly left.
The profound background behind this change is that starting July 1st, the Wenzhou traffic police will issue notices for vehicles illegally parked in places where the impact on traffic is relatively minor, instead of immediately towing them away.
It is reported that this measure is the first of its kind within Zhejiang Province.
Replacing Tow Trucks with Notices
In the past, the Wenzhou traffic police would uniformly handle illegally parked vehicles on the road by towing them away. This practice not only caused a lot of trouble for violators but also, due to limited manpower, often resulted in situations where one illegally parked vehicle was towed while another was left untended, creating an impression of unfair law enforcement.
To facilitate the public and demonstrate humanistic care while strictly enforcing laws, the Wenzhou Traffic Police Brigade has changed from towing to issuing notices. For illegally parked cars that meet the criteria for reporting, they use a notice of illegal parking and simultaneously record the location, time, license plate number, and model of the vehicle.
The notices are uniformly posted on the windshield of the driver's side of the vehicle. The stubs are signed by two officers and handed over to the internal staff of the officer’s team on the same day to be entered into the computer system. Drivers should go to the team within the specified period to receive handling.
In the future, when the Wenzhou Public Security Vehicle Management Office conducts annual inspections of vehicles, it will conduct online comparisons before signing off on qualified vehicles. If vehicles that have been reported for violations but not yet handled are found, they will be notified in writing to go to the corresponding team to accept handling. Only after the violation owner accepts the handling and eliminates the "black spot" vehicle information will the Vehicle Management Office sign off.
Illegally Parking Not Worth It
Yesterday morning, around popular spots for morning exercises such as Xiu Mountain Park and Century Square, there were significantly fewer illegally parked vehicles.
When reporters randomly interviewed several citizens, they all said they had a certain level of understanding about the reporting system. A citizen surnamed Zhang said his family owns a car, so he pays more attention to the management policies of the traffic police department. He believes that after the implementation of the reporting system, the scope of penalties for illegal parking by traffic police is very broad, and extra caution will be needed in the future.
An officer said that if a motor vehicle driver accumulates more than 12 points per year, they will need to retake the driving test. After the implementation of the reporting system, each instance of illegal parking by a motor vehicle will result in a fine of 5 yuan and a deduction of 2 points. With such a large penalty, it will surely help drivers self-regulate.
Underground Garages Expected to Do Better Business
An officer on patrol said that random parking of motor vehicles causes many underground garages to remain deserted. One night, he saw a row of cars illegally parked on the side of the road, affecting traffic. He immediately began rectifying the situation, but before he could penalize the first few vehicles and wait for the tow truck to arrive, the drivers of other illegally parked vehicles quickly drove away upon hearing the news, making it difficult to manage. After the implementation of the reporting system, even if the violator wants to escape, they won't be able to. The above scenario will no longer occur.
He anticipates that the number of vehicles in underground garages will increase rapidly in the future.