Wheel Clamps are a parking enforcement tool that is less intrusive and less costly for parking clients than towing. If a vehicle is towed, the driver must arrange transportation to the towing compound and pay $120 plus tax to the towing company to retrieve their vehicle. The driver is still responsible to pay the outstanding violation fees and must buy a permit if they wish to continue to park at Trent.
A vehicle’s third unpaid violation at Trent will include both a wheel clamp/tow warning. If there is a fourth unpaid violation, a wheel clamp will be affixed to the driver’s side front wheel of the vehicle. In the event all clamps are in use or the vehicle is parked unsafely or in a manner that blocks access or egress of other vehicles, the vehicle will be towed. The clamp will be tethered to a yellow traffic cone to ensure the driver sees the clamp and does not try to drive off. Attempting to drive with a wheel clamp affixed to your vehicle will cause serious damage to the vehicle. Clear instructions for arranging removal of the clamp will be on the cone. The driver should contact Parking Services during business hours or Security Services after hours who will ask them to produce identification and to resolve their outstanding tickets, including the $25 clamp removal fee. Parking or Security staff will then remove the clamp. The benefits to the driver are that they do not have to leave campus to retrieve their vehicle and the wheel clamp removal fee is significantly lower than the charge for a tow. In cases where all the clamps are in use or the vehicle has been previously clamped, Parking Services may still elect to tow a vehicle with five or more violations. Once you have produced valid identification and paid any outstanding violations and the $25 clamp removal fee, Parking or Security staff will remove the clamp. Please note that, after working hours, if Security must respond to an emergency call, you may have to wait until they are free to assist you.