In Los Angeles, over 120 million dollars was collected in 2008 from parking tickets due to street sweeping alone (Los Angeles Dept. of Transportation).  

We know California is certainly in need of the money, but to take these large sums (which were recently increased, again) seriously hurts people’s finances.  Paying for a parking ticket and possibly towing, as well, puts a major damper on other spending; and that money would have positively contributed to the here-and-now-economy (as opposed to being swallowed into the state’s red ink).   

Of course, State and federal debt is important to recognize, as is collecting fines from people that break minor laws.  The problem is the amount of money demanded.  The punishment is not fitting the crime. 

It has become an obvious exploitation of dense population areas and the need for parking space and swept streets.

Auto Safe Alert is thrilled to be an affordable solution to this gouging.  If our service reminds you to move your car just once, it’s paid for itself several times over, so you can spend your money on what you want.

He saw the neighbor’s car with a few others on the forsaken side.  The side where massive brushes would soon be whirling garbage and dead leaves up into the belly of a truck.  The glutenous machine is large and loud, but it can’t go through cars; hence the towing.  

No answer on the neighbor’s phone.  So, he went and knocked on his door as a ticket was being tucked under a windshield wiper on the first car.  Two more were between his friend’s and the man with the tickets.  Banging louder seemed to cause a stir.  A cat in the window.  Not going to help…  The next car is given the orange paper.  Obvious, like the painful looking mark left on flesh by a tentacle’s sucker.  Only this one latches onto money.

Going around to the side and pounding on the window finally got a response.  An angry, sleepy face appeared.  After hearing what must have been a muffled “Street sweeping!” through the window, the face looked surprised then scared, and disappeared.

The friend came barreling out.  The policeman was already walking away from the neighbor’s car.  It was too late.  His car was ticketed.  Another 50 bucks snatched into the city’s ever gaping beak.  Yummy parking ticket fines, its favorite food.  So easy to catch.  And so juicy…

The neighbor was able to move his car before the tow trucks pulled up.  They began spreading from their waiting place at the end of the street to take away the others on the forsaken side, like a slow moving pack of dinosaurs descending upon injured prey.

This has been the first installment of Another Brush with Street Sweeping- the true inspiration behind Auto Safe Alert.

Before he could cross and get close enough, his car was hitched and hooked, ready to be towed.  Arguing was futile.  The sweating tow truck driver had obviously dealt with many like this panicky little man.  Wasn’t his fault he had to take the car… just doin’ his job…  In the end, the parking ticket plus the towing and fees added up to around $165. 

It was on the drive home, in the midst of this financial sting, an idea was born.  A couple of years and a few more tickets later convinced him, he was starting that company.  It would remind people of street sweeping.  It would be affordable, and it would be reliable.  Customers would never be ticketed or towed due to street sweeping again.

The company is Auto Safe Alert, and it’s the first service to provide a reminder about street sweeping via text message and/or email.

Service is debuting June 9, 2009.