PORTLAND, Ore. — Many cars remain abandoned on or next to streets and highways across Portland, despite ongoing efforts to tow the cars out of the way and treat the icy roads.
On Wednesday night, as snow accumulated quickly, some drivers felt stranded and stuck, and decided it was best to leave their vehicles, choosing instead to walk or take public transit home. Although no snow fell Thursday, conditions remained slick.
"We've been out all day, and we've plowed about a third of the city, plowed or treated about a third of the city," said Portland Commissioner Mingus Mapps, in charge of the Portland Bureau of Transportation, "We're making good progress. I'll tell you, one of the real challenges right now are the cars that have been left about in the streets, so we've been waiting to get those vehicles off the roads."
Citations waived
PBOT leaders announced Thursday afternoon that they wouldn't issue parking citations for cars that exceed time limits at parking meters and other public parking spaces through Saturday.
The department also said it won't issue citations for vehicles that are towed because they're blocking a travel lane or impeding access, a citation that would normally cost $270.
However, PBOT said vehicle owners will be responsible for towing charges and fees from a towing company.
"If you've abandoned your car in a dangerous place, I encourage you to do everything you can to move it to a safer space," Mapps said.
How to find your car if it gets towed
If you car does get towed before you can get back to it, what do you do? The City partners with an online platform to recover these vehicles called AutoReturn intended to help speed up the process of finding it after a tow.
"This is a service that provides a clearinghouse of information on vehicles that were towed, and they're doing the intake of these orders across ODOT, PBOT, police, a variety of agencies," said PBOT spokesperson Dylan Rivera.
But, he said, it could be a few days before your vehicle gets towed. Tow truck drivers told KGW that their current focus remained on clearing blocked roads, but as conditions improve on Friday or Saturday, they plan to tow more cars.
"Odds are, given the high number of vehicles that were abandoned not only on city streets, but on state highways and state freeways, it could take awhile for the tow trucks to get to your vehicle," Rivera said.