[vina]

Originally Posted by Jaguar

Why not? When we are expected to report un-attended bags, why not cars? For all you know, the home owner might have asked his neighbours if they knew about the car and then reported to the police. I am glad that the police for once did their job and responded to a call.

While I sympathise with @pranavt's plight, the guy who called the police did the right thing, and so did the police. They had no reason to believe that there was nothing wrong - if the car indeed had a bomb people would be complaining that police does nothing. And the moment they got their hands on a contact number they did call up.

Besides if someone from 200m - 300m away parks his car in front of my house - it is not my responsibility to check out. The most I'll do is ask in my immediate neighbourhood, there is no way I can be expected to ask the whole town.

[Cyrus43]

Originally Posted by pranavt

Just to offer a story from the other side of the fence. I had once parked my car about 200-300 metres away from my house because there was absolutely no parking space. And my garage was being used by the society, along with a few other garages next to mine, for some stupid function.

Next morning, I was out and had gone by cab because of fear of traffic. Turns out, someone from the vicinity where the car was parked called up the cops. No official complaint or anything. The cops came with 2 Qualis' and one towing van, ready to take the car away without asking anyone. One lone hawaldar out of that group of idiots had the mind to go through my glove box and find some sort of identification.

Got a call while being 20 minutes away from my house that my car had been reported to the police and I had to reach the police station to fix the issue. I told them to wait there while I ran back.

On reaching, I found out that one of the occupants of a bunglow nearby had reported my car to the cops because it was parked for a single night. They ended up breaking my drivers' side door lock in trying to open it and my cabin was a mess (whole glove box had been emptied.).

Fought with the cops, went to the police station and asked for compensation for the broken door lock. Didn't get any compensation but the Police Inspector ended up apologising to me.

Next time you report someone's car to the cops, atleast check in the vicinity instead of becoming trigger happy and making hoax calls about bombs and/or calling up shady mechanics to steal parts off the car.

something similar happened to us once. We used to park out fiats below our house and cover them up. Once, I had three of them parked in a row all covered up and someone called the cops saying there were abandoned cars here and there were bombs in them. A whole bunch of cops came knocking to our door one sunday afternoon and demanded we open the covers and show them the cars. When I argued saying this was harassment, they started getting violent and rude. Taking caution to the wind and remembering i had 4 cars parked there I just opened the cover and showed them the car. Did not open the car for them, but they said they will keep an eye on these cars and told me I was not allowed to keep so many cars. That is when I lost it and told them to bugger off as it was none of their business and I would park as many cars here as I wanted.

Similarly one day, they came once and asked me to move all my cars from the footpath that we had been parking our cars for the last 10 years or they would have been taken away. JUST because some Neighbor had a fit of Jealousy! I hate when people do that.

[Gooney]

Hey Cyrus I appreciate the passion you have for your Fiats, but don't you think it is a bit incosiderate and uncivil on your part to park your vehicles on a public footpath?

We have so few footpaths to begin with, and encroaching the few that we have is a real inconvinience for pedestrians. Don't you think so?

Having dished out all this gyaan, I would also like to add a disclaimer that I am assuming that you are referring to public footpaths here, the ones normal junta like me use. However, if the footpath in question is yours or a part of a residential complex than I totally take my words back.

Originally Posted by Cyrus43

That is when I lost it and told them to bugger off as it was none of their business and I would park as many cars here as I wanted. (On public property? Please do not. Manage a garage before you start collecting cars.)

Similarly one day, they came once and asked me to move all my cars from the footpath that we had been parking our cars for the last 10 years or they would have been taken away. JUST because some Neighbor had a fit of Jealousy! I hate when people do that.

[Cyrus43]

Originally Posted by Gooney

Hey Cyrus I appreciate the passion you have for your Fiats, but don't you think it is a bit incosiderate and uncivil on your part to park your vehicles on a public footpath?

We have so few footpaths to begin with, and encroaching the few that we have is a real inconvinience for pedestrians. Don't you think so?

Having dished out all this gyaan, I would also like to add a disclaimer that I am assuming that you are referring to public footpaths here, the ones normal junta like me use. However, if the footpath in question is yours or a part of a residential complex than I totally take my words back.

In the first part of my Rant, the cars were all parked on the road legally. Why should anyone have an issue with me parking there?

And on the second part, the cars were parked on the footpath like every other car in the lane has been parked for the last 30 years. Whenever I park on the footpath, I make sure there is enough place for people to walk as there are alot of very old people who take their daily walks in the colony. The footpath is a public footpath, but as I said, we, and other people have been parking there from the 80s and it is very much allowed as the lane is very narrow. you wont understand till you actually see the place I am referring to. That said, I dont have a choice on where to park coz the road parkings are perennially blocked with other cars and our landlord is a glorified farm animal.

That said, people used to have issues with us when we parked on the road too just because we had multiple (4-5) cars parked there. We have also seen various instances of vandalism on purpose because of it.

[Gooney]

I understand Cyrus. And I have seen how cars are parked in Bombay (that's where you are referring to, right?). There are no alternatives. I just wished there were. Also, no offence, but just because we-have-been-doing-this-for-30-years do not make certain legal.

[powerwidFE]

In my case it is a BHPian's car (at least it has got team bhp stickers on it). It is parked not exactly outside my house but on the boundary of a circular park where there is already a SEVERE SCARCITY of space.
The car is a Lancer(DL XX P 3532). I tried to track down the owner with the help of the RWA but couldn't(actually the RWA here is worthy of a mention in the official joke thread ). If the BHPian is still there on the forum, I would like to request him to please move his car to a location which is better suited to park abandoned cars and let the cars which are used on a daily basis use the space currently occupied by it.
After all, BHPians should be the ones who should be responsible for understanding people's parking woes and try to help them out(especially so if it is very easy for them to do so!)

[powerwidFE]

As regards my last post, the car has actually been moved. I don't know whether it was because of my post or not.
Thanks fellow BHPian if you have moved it on my request (or even otherwise!).

[apachelongbow]

If the police doesn't move it, owner is untraceable and the car blocks your way/property please go ahead and sell it off. If people are not interested in taking care of their property, then they should very well lose it.

[RishiSuri]

cant you pay to a private towing truck and dump it next to a garbage bin. On its own the person will eventually move it (Just kidding, but whats the harm even )

[pganapathy]

First find out whose car it is and attempt to get in touch with the person. For example I don't use my car very much these days. Maybe once in a week or even two or three weeks I drive it. Does not mean the vehicle is abandoned.

If you do get in touch and the owner is parking there due to lack of space, do check if both of you can come up with a suitable alternative if it inconveniences you.

It is rare for someone to abandon a car unless there is no way he can sell it or use it. Please be considerate of other users because not everyone has space to park a car in their yard.