Can cars be clamped in Cayman?
Is it true that you can be clamped if you park beyond the posted time limit or in a spot marked for a specific business? I have seen signs warning about clamping in many carparks around town and it doesn’t seem fair considering many plazas and office buildings don’t have adequate parking.
Auntie’s answer: No, it is not true, but it used to be. And for many people your question dredges up memories of a dark, dark period for Cayman’s motorists. There used to be “parking management” companies operating here whose employees roamed carparks looking to clamp the tyres of any vehicle deemed to have parked illegally.
Once clamped, the driver’s only recourse was to hand over $75 to get the clamp removed. It is fair to say that the people who put on the clamps were universally hated. They worked on commission and apparently lack of compassion was one of the requirements of the job.
The issue of clamping, besides being heatedly discussed by any and all, especially those who had it happen to them, made it to the hallowed halls of the Legislative Assembly, where an MLA argued against the practice. And a cabinet minister famously was clamped and refused to pay the fee.
Finally, good sense prevailed when a revised Traffic Law came into effect in September 2012 that outlawed clamping once and for all. I don’t recall any dancing in the streets but I do believe there was much rejoicing.
Now, that doesn’t mean you can park anywhere you want. There are legitimate no-parking zones and, of course, there are spots reserved for disabled drivers with special tags, so just be sure you are not violating any rules.
Anyway, I am sure that many readers have had their own horrible clamping experience. Thankfully, you will never have to worry about finding one of those dreaded orange monstrosities attached to your tyre.
Category: Ask Auntie
If the Traffic Law does not apply in private parking areas then neither does the clamping restriction.
I’m pretty sure that clamping is still legal, you just can’t make someone pay for their car to be released.
Any business in the Cayman Islands must have parking for customers. So if a person goes inside your business and buys something he should be able to find parking in or near the establishment. What happens in GT has been ridiculous for 2 long.
Some years ago when that idiot parking Management team was at Flagship they clamped my bus in a parking space. I told him I just came from upstairs eating breakfast at Dunkins. Why are you clamping me? He said it was parking for office clients only. I told him each business needs parking for restaurants customers. Otherwise they should not have been allowed to sell . He said I had to pay $75 to be released I said I don’t have the money till later. He said he would have to tow my bus I said GO AHEAD. I then smoked a cigar until I ran out at 4 0clock. He never towed the bus. We as customers have got to stop being abused because they said so. There has to be common sense also.
and we all know who the company belonged to????or was part of?
Rhymes with FART ????????????
more than the horrors of clamping what i notice dayin and dayout are people driving and parking as they please just go to fosters at countryside
Auntie – you may be mistaken. Where someone owns or rents a parking space they can legally prohibit anyone from entering onto it. Towing and clamping can be lawful remedies in such circumstances. As a previous poster has intimated, it is trespass to park without authorization in someones private property.
Are you saying that if someone trespasses onto my private property and parks their car I cannot clamp their car even if I post a notice saying they will be clamped?
You can call the police and tell them that someone is trespassing onto your property and they will probably issue a warning initially unless it is a recurring thing in which case you could bring the offender to court to have a restraining order or something similar against them. You are not allowed to clamp someone’s car and demand that they pay you as you could be charged with bribery and/or extortion which are illegal and you could then be held on a criminal offense. You can’t threaten to clamp someone because you can’t actually legally clamp anyone in Cayman anymore. You can however post a sign on your property saying that action will be taken against anyone trespassing, and you can also have the vehicle towed from your property and ask the offender to pay for the towing fee.