After park visitors hours in Columbus risk being towed

Columbus is putting people who enter city parks after hours on notice: Your car will be towed.

City Council is expected to approve a rule next week to do just that. The council presented the legislation during a meeting last night. Department of Recreation and Parks towing officials said yesterday that the city will focus on areas where people have complained of illegal drug activity and possible sexual misconduct at city parks.

Residents near Blackburn Park, on the cities Near East Side, have recently complained of homeless people with cars using the park to produce, sell and use drugs. Others have complained about cars parked during the night in the lot at the Golden Hobby Shop, 630 S. 3rd St. in German Village, as well as at Tuttle Park in the University District.

Hobby and Parks Director Alan McKnight said the people parking their cars near some city parks aren’t always a problem. For example, parking in German Village and near campus can be difficult to find, and motorists are using those city park lots.”But the complaints at Blackburn, no one has a reason to be in the park after it closes, and we want to make sure people are adhere to the park hours,” he said.

McKnight and numerous other city officials said that making parks safe is main, pointing to the stabbing death of a woman in a Blendon Township park on Sunday. Columbus will contract with Pro-Tow, one of the companies that past this year secured the city’s lucrative $2.3 million-a-year towing contract to remove vehicles from meters and no-parking zones.

There will be no cost to the city for the parks contract because the charge will be paid by the offender, McKnight said.Pro-Tow will install signs at area parks to warn motorists that cars parked after hours will be removed. Towing likely will begin in the next 2 months, officials said.

Car Battery wellness for winter seasons

Last year, more than 108,000 motorists called AAA East Central for battery-related car concerns, which are why the AAA office at 1414 12th Street, hosted a free battery wellness clinic on their parking lot, as a part of Fall Car Care month.

We are promoting the care of your battery, Tammy Hrabic, of AAA East Central, said. And we are promoting maintenance of your car. We want you to be prepared. We do free testing. If you are an AAA member, we do mobile testing. So it is main to have the battery working properly so you don’t get stranded.

Hrabic said AAA has contracted with Ted Scalf of Ted’s Towing for exclusive towing service.

They came to us as primary service provider back in 2011, but were a back up driver for us, Hrabic said. They took over the area when Knitters’ retired from the towing, and they have finished a wonderful job. They run about 700 calls a month. They perform all. All the training is provided for them. They sell batteries. They do all. We refer to them as Preferred Service Provider. They can also do police calls. They can do private calls. But they are exclusive to this motor club.

Driver Dies as Car Breaks Free from Tow vehicle

A driver has died after his car broke free from the AA van towing it and collided with another vehicle. The man, believed to be in his 40s, and suffered a heart attack in the crash in Croydon, south London just after 9am on Tuesday.

Paramedics tried to bring around the driver as he was taken St George's Hospital in Tooting, but he died 2 hours later. A second man, traveling in another car, suffered chest injuries and taken to another hospital.

Witnesses described how the black Vauxhall Zafira, which was being towed on a rigid bar, swerve and crashed into a verge before breaking away from the tow-truck. Police said no arrests had been made in connection with the crash but investigation was continuing.

In a statement, the AA said: We are aware of an event in the Croydon area this morning, 

1st October, and that sadly the AA van towing member involved has died. We would like to express our sincere pity to the member’s family. While the circumstances are under investigation, we are unable to comment further.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the witness line on 020 8285 1574.