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As an economics major, I couldn’t believe my eyes while reading “He said, she said: Towing” last week. If my education has taught me anything, it’s that scarce resources must be given value so they can be allocated properly. Do the writers think parking spaces grow on trees?
Things are fine during the summer. I never have a problem parking by Top of the Stairs or hopping out to grab a burrito from my favorite place, Chipotle.
When Virginia Tech students come back, however, it is an entirely different story. Sitting in traffic on Main Street and car-stalking in the Squires lot are necessary actions.
Now don’t get me wrong, nothing would make me happier than being able to park wherever and whenever I want (Sharkey’s happy hour, here I come).
But I know we can’t have everything for free — even though many seem to think otherwise.
As much as I hate Valley Towing — I’ve been out there, and I know they are the type of jerks who would make someone punch a wall or make a sensitive guy read “Harry Potter” — I know they serve a purpose. Valley Towing makes it difficult to park but ensures spots are given to those who want them most.
If I’ve learned anything during my time at Tech it’s that there’s no such thing as a free lunch. If you give something away for free around campus and downtown, you pay a cost somehow, usually in the quality department.
If parking spots were given away free of charge, people wouldn’t know the value of a spot, and its quality would go down without an incentive.
Pretty soon it would become common knowledge around Blacksburg that the parking situation was horrible.
And when people finally got a spot they would see how crappy it really was — filled with potholes and loose asphalt, since the repairmen would have no real incentive to fix them. People might even give up on parking altogether.
Valley Towing is a necessary evil if we want to maintain the quality of the spots. It doesn’t take much to imagine how terrible things would become without them.
A version of this article appeared in the Oct 6 issue of the Collegiate Times.
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Bit of a reach there towards the end, but overall I agree, a necessary evil.
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Point well taken in general, though I don't really see how potholes and such got into the argument. These guys put up with awful treatment from entitled idiots who have nobody to blame but themselves when their car gets towed for parking ILLEGALLY.
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As a civil engineer major, and thus someone who has taken concrete/asphalt classes, I couldn't believe my eyes while reading an article about how parking spaces could develop potholes from overuse. C'mon now. "A necessary evil" describes towing perfectly, but not because it keeps parking spots pothole-free; it's necessary because it keeps people from parking where they shouldn't.
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As a business major and member of a respected business fraternity, I couldn't believe my eyes while reading "Towing a necessity" (What kind of stupid title is that?).
If my education has taught me anything, it's the value of free market solutions. The writer of this editorial clearly has misidentified the problem. STUDENTS AREN'T THE PROBLEM. VALLEY TOWING IS THE PROBLEM.
WHY is Valley Towing there? It's not because we, Blacksburg consumers, asked for them to be there. It's because the hippies in Town Council freely encourage these companies to take away our property.
Town Council has had an anti-vehicle, anti-student agenda for as long as I've been at Tech. Look at the roundabout. What other possible purpose could that serve besides dissuading drivers? The BUREAUCRATS in this town are trying to actively turn away students so that they can reclaim some misguided sense of propriety.
If some D-bag has been parked in a busy lot for multiple days keeping my car from using the space that's rightfully mine, by all means, tow him. But that should be MY call as a commuter, not the Council's hick puppets.
Dante and Kelley were merely pointing out that our rights are being infringed upon. You probably don't even have a damn car in this town. If you do, it probably isn't worth the drive back. I'm tired of Valley Towing costing me thousands at the body shop and I'm sick of you apologists defending them.
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"If my education has taught me anything, it's the value of free market solutions."
Clearly then, your education hasn't taught you anything. You misidentify the consumers of the product Valley Towing provides. We aren't their consumers, the property owners that solicit their services are. They operate as a business precisely because there is a demand for them.
If Valley Towing cost you thousands at a body shop, either they screwed up and should pay for it, or -- perhaps more likely -- you are full of crap.
You say that the Town Council "freely encourage these companies to take away our property." The lots aren't your property. If they are private lots, the owner can do whatever they want with regards to towing. If the lot is public, then you will only be towed if you are parked illegally.
You need to grow up and stop touting your credentials as a "business major and member of a respected business fraternity." Nobody is impressed. I promise. Spend more time studying and less time parking illegally.
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Haha, you fool, why would for-profit institutions like the apartment complexes and the local bars try to make things harder for their customers? They WANT us to live and shop there. Only bureaucrats can cause something that interferes with our ability to function as citizens and customers.
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@MA:
I'm glad my apartment complex tows otherwise there would be a bunch of non-residents taking up the parking.
You ask "How can you be sure others will park in your lot?" Because every fall for the few weeks before passes have been distributed the lot is packed, as soon as towing starts there is plenty of space.
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@NABS
OBVIOUSLY, if the dude's in YOUR spot, you should have him towed. That's your right as a lessee of property. I'm just tired of the local government getting in people's business by sic-ing these rednecks to STALK students' personal property.
Blacksburg Town Council interference is one of the major problems with Virginia Tech. Look what they did to First & Main! They were so opposed to a more convenient Wal-Mart that they shot themselves in the foot, now we don't have a decent movie theater for miles and the local economy STINKS. TC's too busy lining the pockets of Bubba and Jethro who come in to private lots uninvited.
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@ MA, Town Council has nearly nothing to do with towing, your an idiot and as said above, full of crap on valley towing costing you thousands.
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Suggesting MA is an idiot and full of crap was kinder than you should have been, Anonymous.
I've heard some stupid rants in my day, but this guy wins the prize. He needs to shuffle back to the community college he transferred from and take courses in government and logic.
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"whats the purpose of the roundabout? to dissuade drivers."
uhhhh.......to eliminate a congested intersection and unnecessary waiting? I am sorry you drive like a grandmother and can't handle the intense decision-making of driving around in a circle with yield signs.
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What the f???? Yea it's necessary but this article is a REAL stretch. Parking doesn't make potholes. Water under the asphalt, and frozen water in the cracks cause potholes.
Another retarded collegiate times article...
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He didn't say parking creates potholes. The context was how owners can afford to repave their lots.
Looks to me like your sub-80 IQ qualifies you to become a CT reporter.
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I guess it would be interesting to see a Blacksburg where Valley Towing and such don't stalk your cars. Would be fun to see the numerous opinion articles posted about how people are wasting so much time because they have to wait 30 minutes for the tow truck that they had to call come out just so they can park in their leased space.
Not saying that it shouldn't be done; or that it should--but either way there is going to be someone that is upset.
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