>>I've often thought something similar about wheel-clampers. As pay the £100 to get your car unclamped you mi's well by a huge pair of bolt cutters and cut it off. Then you still have the tool to keep. Do they do wheel-clamping in the US for illegally parked cars (*not the police, council, but independant contactor firms)?
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>Haven't seen them here. Usually anyone who owns a parking lot (be it a shop, or someone who rents space for apartments or offices) has a contract with a local towing company, which then have the duty to check whether all the cars on it have the sticker or other sign of eligibility. Then they just take your car away, and you have to pay them for the service of towing and guarding your car (even though they specially guard it against you :). Costs anywhere between $50 and $120.

And to me this is a prime example of someone inventing a market where none previously existed.
And the trouble with that is that all markets must grow. So here, at a building where I've lived ofr 12+ years, we recently had to sign an 'agreement' regarding paid-for parking spots that we would:
1) Never ever use the designated visitor's parking;
2) Pay the towing etc. if I ever lost my sticker and the car was towed;
3) Have my visitors call a designated number within 15 minutes of arrival in order to 'register' their car in visitor's parking under penalty of tow if not.
All this to generate additional revenue opportunities for the parking enforcement contractor.

The building owner apparently values possible added income more highly than the comfort/satisfaction of the tenants! It feel quite like fascism to me.