Posted on 05/30/2015 9:43:21 PM PDT by nickcarraway
A new app lets annoyed cyclists or drivers harness the power of crowdsourcing to report illegally parked cars. “We’re not out here to ruin people’s lives or tow people endlessly,” Michael McArthur, co-founder of Toronto-based TowIt, told Fast Company.”It’s all a behavioral shift to make our societies function better. Really, we just want people to think about how their actions are impacting others.”
McArthur and his business partner came up with the idea after a new Toronto mayor had come into office along with a towing initiative for cracking down on illegally parked cars clogging up streets. The team wanted to integrate a tech component to make it more efficient for reporting and removing those cars with the help of traffic cops and towing companies.
But traffic laws vary from city to city, and since launching the startup earlier this year, it’s taken some time to coordinate with city governments. In the meantime, the app, available on Android and iOS, lets anyone post a photo and shame drivers double-parked in bike lines or in rush hour routes.
The startup is starting with Toronto where police currently have to show up in person, ticket a car and wait for a tow truck to arrive. It’s a process that requires tremendous resources and time. The goal is to bypass most of those steps by allowing a remote traffic cop to look at submitted photos of illegally parked cars and determine whether or not they should call a towing company.
The app is currently available in only a handful of cities, with it recently popping up in San Francisco.
Sounds like an app for self-important jackholes to annoy people.
Sounds a bit like Soviet Russia where everyone ratted on each other.
>>>Sounds like an app for self-important jackholes to annoy people.<<<
Imagine what the East German secret police could have done with modern technology.
I hate to say it, but I like this idea. Can’t tell you how many times when looking for a parking spot, I find a**holes deliberately taking up 2 or more parking spots to protect their precious ride.
Narcs of the new century, but without the risk.
Who needs an app?
Avery has printable labels one can hardly scrape off the windshield. I just print a little message, like: “nice parking A-hole” then peel off the backing and plant it right in the middle of the driver’s field of vision.
Less money on welfare and more on parking garages.
New Indiana law requires that slow drivers stay out of the ‘fast lanes’
This is microaggression inflicted upon the rest of us by the hegemonic, paternalistic, 1%
O
This is not helpful. The citizens are conditioned to never make contact with anyone else without police present. (It's certainly safer if you live in your own universe.) At the same time citizens (in this case) are encouraged to report each other to the authorities. There is only one winner here, and that's the authorities, who get to exercise their power where previously they could not.
Citizens are not better off either - a small inconvenience of not having a parking space where they'd want to have it is now replaced with a large pain of having their car towed. Small inconveniences are ignored; but a large pain may result in a large confrontation, assault, murder. What would happen to a man who, upon leaving some office, finds his car gone? Does he have money for a taxi? Does he have time? Is his time worth anything? What if he is a surgeon who has to be at a hospital? What if he is a volunteer firefighter, and his help is needed? I can understand fining the driver, but towing his car is a serious interference in his life. Does the reporting person know that he can be sued and found responsible for something that they initiated? Also race cards will be flashed left and right, one can be sure of that.
It doesn't look wise to push people to such extremes for such a minor offense. It doesn't look wise to create a culture of "helpers" that are anxious to report on their neighbors for a small reward - but most commonly just for the feeling of self-righteousness. It is socially better to have a well defined group of people - the guards, the LEO - who are ready to pounce upon violations. Then you could remain relaxed outside of that group. But if anyone can arrest you or your car, directly or via the phone, you cannot trust anyone. Hello, paranoia - we are here!
Should I have just parked a lot farther away?
You mean self-important jackholes who obviously and clearly have no documentation and no impairment other than "entitlement" and stupidity but must park in handicapped spaces?
I’d like an app that shows how bad bathrooms are left with pee on the lids in minority communities would be amother groundbreaker.../s
I have not read a more incoherent and confused comment on FR for many months...
Soon as I saw the thread title, I knew I was in a losing race for this link...................
Maybe the ghetto crowd has it right when they say, "snitches get stitches."
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