Prepare to be crushed if you park illegally in Vilnius

by Steven Mostyn - Aug 3 2011, 09:52

Over here in the United Kingdom, the worst penalty you can expect for parking illegally is having your car either clamped or towed. However, either would be preferable to, say, returning to find your vehicle has been crushed beyond all recognition.

While that may sound like a harsh consequence reserved for Hollywood celluloid, it could become a stark reality for anyone stupid enough to think they're above the law in the Lithuanian capital city of Vilnius. We're not making this up.

Moreover, city Mayor Arturas Zuokas has become so incensed by drivers (of predominantly luxury cars) that believe status makes them untouchable, he's launched a policy of deterrent that involves savaging illegally parked cars by rolling a massive armoured personnel carrier over them.

“I wanted to send a clear message that people with big and expensive cars can't park wherever they feel like and ignore the rights of pedestrians and bike riders,” commented the outspoken 43-year-old in a Daily Mail report.

“It shows a lack of respect and won't be tolerated,” he added. “Of course, you have to have a sense of humour in my line of work and I thought this would be a way of drawing attention to the fact that the city intends to be proactive in its fight against illegal parking.”

The following (sadly staged) video clip shows the Maurading Mayor in action, gleefully carving his way through an illegally parked Mercedes-Benz as its returning owner looks on in mock horror.

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