Residents fed up with rise in abandoned vehicles across Edmonton

The number of abandoned vehicles on public roads in Edmonton keeps rising. CTV News Edmonton's Connor Hogg reports.

Some homeowners say they are frustrated by the increase in abandoned vehicles on public roads while the city works on a solution.

For about a month, Shiena Peterson has been looking out of her Walker Lakes home in south Edmonton to see a dirty Ford pickup truck parked on the street.

“It’s gross, honestly, for someone that takes pride in my community, that I have to take a look outside and this is the vehicle that’s sitting there,” said Peterson, who said she has called 311 multiple times to try to get the vehicle moved.

“I pay my taxes, and there’s an expectation of what I get for my taxes, and that expectation is that my city and my roadways, my public areas, are going to be properly managed and maintained.”

While abandoned vehicles are unsightly, they can also pose safety concerns, such as the white pickup, which is blocking a fire hydrant and parked far from the curb.

It also presents an inconvenience while street sweeping is under way.

“There is absolutely no way that my area in front of my property can be cleaned because this vehicle is still sitting there,” said Peterson.

The city considers a vehicle to be abandoned if it has not moved from a public street for more than 72 consecutive hours. The vehicle owner is then given a 72-hour warning notice. If the vehicle is not moved within the 72-hour notice, it may be ticketed and towed.

But with limited capacity at the city’s impound lot and a backlog of vehicles, many abandoned vehicles stay unmoved for much longer.

Ward Karhiio Coun. Keren Tang said they are unable to increase capacity until construction is complete on the Yellowhead Highway where the impound lot is located off of.

“I know fall feels like a very long time away, but that particular Yellowhead construction is part of the reason why the capacity is reduced in the face of growing demand,” explained the councillor. “Unfortunately, in the meantime, there’s no immediate solution.”

Tang said some of the other councillors have been trying to connect with police, who own the lot, asking them to put capital funding towards increasing capacity.

“We can’t just adjust some of these things as we see fit, we have to work with different partners, follow the regulations and make appropriate requests,” said Tang.

For the time being, Tang encourages Edmontonians to keep reporting abandoned vehicles.

“Don’t give up and don’t feel like no one is listening to you,” she said. “I never thought that we would be talking about towing so much at city council, but it is an issue and it’s coming up in lots of different rooms and with a lot of different councillors.

“It is something we’re taking very seriously and we hope to find solutions soon.”

Peterson said the pickup truck outside her home was towed around 7 p.m. Wednesday after city enforcement confirmed it was still sitting where it had been for nearly a month.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Connor Hogg