BART riders' cars will now be towed from Union City shopping center

UNION CITY, Calif. (KGO) -- If you ride BART from Union City and park illegally at a nearby shopping center, here's a big warning. They're getting serious about cracking down.

Shoppers at the Union Square Marketplace in Union City say finding a parking spot can be quite a challenge.

They're competing with BART riders who use this lot, even though they're not supposed to.

Officials with the shopping center have had enough and are now towing BART riders' cars out of the lot.

Police say tow truck drivers are watching the people get out of their cars and walk to BART. "Tow company comes later in the afternoon which is well and beyond the two-hour limit that you're allowed to park there and if the cars are still there, they're towing the cars out. He told me yesterday they had four trucks working the parking lot," Union City Police Dept. Sgt. Fred Camacho said.

According to BART, 5,221 people enter the Union City BART station each day. The station's parking lot has 1,144 parking spaces.

Police say the shopping center is within its rights to tow the cars. The police department has nothing to do with this because it is private property but even some officers appreciate the enforcement.

"Not only as a police officer but as a citizen who lives here and uses that shopping center, I know how bad parking was there for customers," Camacho said.

The lot is full on Wednesday and there are no trucks there now, but don't be tempted. The tow truck company charges at least $270 to recover your car.