A few words of advice to the thousands of new and returning college and university students, especially those living in or visiting Oakland.

Watch where you park your car.

That advice also goes to longtime residents who park where they shouldn't, even if it's "only for a few minutes."

Just ask Keith Goings of Penn Hills.

After trying and failing to find an open meter on Forbes Avenue, he "took a chance" and parked in the CVS pharmacy lot directly across the street from the Allegheny County Health Department building.

Mr. Goings, 42, a factory worker, took his 9-year-old son, Keyshawn, into a Health Department office for a chicken pox shot. The shot is one of several required by school districts. His son was scheduled to start school the next day.

He said he didn't see the ominous orange and black sign taped to the inside door of the Health Department building that said:

"If you decide to park at Arby's or CVS, rethink that!!!!"

Below the warning was an illustration of a tow truck and a hoisted car.

"We were in there about an hour. There's a lot of paperwork to fill out and you have to wait your turn. When we came back out, my ride was gone," he said, referring to his 2004 red Toyota Camry.

"I knew what had happened," he said, a bit exasperated at himself. "I saw a man in a black shirt in the CVS lot when I parked the car. I bet he worked for the towing company."

There are numerous signs posted in the lot stating that the parking spaces are for CVS customers only. The signs also say: "All others will be towed at vehicle owner's risk and expense. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Howard's Towing, 412-235-7700."

I checked to see if the lot had a current towing license issued annually by the city's Bureau of Building Inspection. It did. The license costs $121 and expires Oct. 31. Business owners and property management companies buy the licenses and hire towing companies to remove vehicles that don't belong to their customers.

I gave Mr. Goings and his son a ride to Howard's Towing. It's at 60 Irvine St. in lower Greenfield. A sign on the wall near the front counter read: "All impounded vehicles must be paid in cash: $180 + $30 per day storage.

Mr. Goings thought the towing fee was excessive, especially since the towing company had his car for only a few hours.

"It's the same fee we charge everybody," said Howard Szuminsky, the owner. "We work for the company that owns the lot. They have to have room for their customers to park."

After paying the fee and recovering his car, Mr. Goings wondered if the Health Department had a parking lot he could have used.

"Unfortunately, we don't," said department spokesman Guillermo Cole. "We don't even have parking spaces for all department employees. We urge visitors to use public transportation if at all possible, or use the public parking lots and garages."

Mr. Cole, Mr. Szuminsky and Mr. Goings urged everyone traveling to Oakland to arrive early to find a parking space.

"I learned my lesson," Mr. Goings said.

So has the Arby's restaurant next to the Health Department.

Although it has allowed its towing license to expire from time to time, Jamie Wagner, its new general manager, responded immediately when he learned it didn't have a current one.

The restaurant has a 30-space parking lot that also is served by Howard's Towing. In the past, some persons tried to get around the customers-only restriction by buying a beverage and then walking off the premises.

When they returned, sometimes an hour or more later, their cars were gone. On a few occasions, in-store customers enjoying a leisurely lunch have had their cars towed.

Mr. Wagner said that won't happen again.

"I want to build a good relationship with our customers and the community," he said. "From now on, no vehicles will be towed from the lot unless I give my verbal consent."