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New York City is booting more cars than at any time since the pandemic, data shows (gothamist.com)
submitted 4 months ago by fpslem@lemmy.world to c/fuckcars@lemmy.world
16 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Booting is on the rise in New York City.

Drivers who don’t pay up for traffic tickets are more likely to have their cars ensnared than they have been at any point since before the pandemic all but shut down enforcement, according to city data.

New Yorkers' vehicles were immobilized 134,945 times in 2023. That’s more than quadruple the number of boots clamped onto wheels throughout the city in 2020, when only 31,379 vehicles were captured by the devices’ metal fangs.

Drivers who fail to pay $350 or more in parking or traffic camera tickets within 100 days of their issuance are subject to booting.

Many booted vehicles get towed away. If their owners don’t retrieve them, the city can sell them at auction.

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[-] 5oap10116@lemmy.world 14 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

How do those stand up to a Sawzall?. I used to cut galvanized steel pipes like butter. Assuming they're not made of something significantly stronger, I figure I can fix that problem in under a minute on a fresh blade.

[-] merde@sh.itjust.works 19 points 4 months ago

to whom do those boots belong and what are the consequences of damaging their property (that they surely know was clamped to your car)?

[-] RubberElectrons@lemmy.world 4 points 4 months ago

I forget where I'd read about it, some enterprising individual disassembled, then reassembled the boot off the vehicle, several times. Might be an urban legend though.

[-] 5oap10116@lemmy.world 6 points 4 months ago

Also possibly urban legend, there was some story about a windshield suction cup "boot" or clamshell that you can get off by blasting your defroster on high heat and run a credit card along the seals. They also have GPS tracking on them with a Sim card that had unlimited data, which was then used for free internet.

[-] mearce@programming.dev 1 points 4 months ago

And they're just giving these away? Godbless

[-] 5oap10116@lemmy.world 2 points 4 months ago

I'd assume if true, the arms race has progressed past it.

[-] ThrowawayPermanente@sh.itjust.works 10 points 4 months ago

Good. Driving a car on public roads is not a basic human right, it carries with it certain responsibilities and obligations.

[-] henfredemars@infosec.pub 10 points 4 months ago

Isn’t the boot just going to make scarce city parking even less efficient? Isn’t it kind of shooting yourself in the boot to some degree?

[-] DrunkEngineer@lemmy.world 20 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

NYC has never been interested in making parking efficient. The parking meter rates are ridiculously cheap, with many streets not charging anything for parking (or even having time limits). And yes, giving away valuable parking makes driving much more complicated -- but apparently the Governor was in a diner and overheard some voters from NJ complaining about increased costs....

[-] ChronosTriggerWarning@lemmy.world 0 points 4 months ago

Replace with spare tire: 10-15 minutes.

Chopping "revenue generator" off with angle grinder: 10-15 minutes.

Total costs: 20-30 minutes.

[-] fpslem@lemmy.world 19 points 4 months ago

For anyone seriously considering this tactic, they already have your license plate and VIN when they boot your car. If you manage to remove the wheel and destroy the boot, many jurisdictions will come after you for damage to city property and it will cost you a lot more than paying to get the boot off. I had a buddy who found this out the hard way.

[-] ChronosTriggerWarning@lemmy.world 2 points 4 months ago

It was tongue in cheek. I only ever do this with my neighbors ride anyway.

[-] fpslem@lemmy.world 11 points 4 months ago

Hey, while we're on the subject, does anyone remember the forum thread that went viral a few years ago of a guy whose HOA booted his car, and he managed to hide the booted car in his garage and the towing company freaked out? He updated the forum posts as the saga developed, and it's a very funny read.

https://www.jeepforum.com/threads/epic-hoa-parking-boot-battle.572540/

[-] stoly@lemmy.world 2 points 4 months ago

I loved that story but felt it was left unresolved.

[-] AnarchistArtificer@slrpnk.net 1 points 4 months ago

I haven't seen that before, it was marvellous, thanks for sharing. What an epic

this post was submitted on 19 Aug 2024
102 points (95.5% liked)

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