The City of Edmonton and Edmonton Police Service announced Wednesday that towing operations for abandoned vehicles have returned to normal after reopening an overflow impound lot, significantly reducing a backlog that had sparked resident complaints.
Backlog drops sharply after overflow lot opens
The number of abandoned vehicles in the city peaked at 682 on June 17 but fell by 73 per cent to 181 as of Tuesday, according to officials. The decline followed the creation of about 150 temporary parking spots in the police impound lot, located at 12230 124 Ave.
“We believe that we don’t have an issue with addressing all of the abandoned vehicles in our city,” said Cindy Kieu, executive director of EPS’s business operations division, during a Wednesday press conference.
Temporary lot provides relief
The temporary overflow lot is a former ETS Park and Ride site at 122 Street and 124 Avenue, adjacent to the main impound lot. It had been used as a construction laydown area for work on Yellowhead Trail. EPS said it had used the space as temporary overflow since 2018 until construction began in 2024.
Alan Le, superintendent for parking enforcement with the city, said the plan is to aggressively address the issue over the summer and ideally reduce the number to zero.
Capacity challenges date back years
When asked about the reasons for the space pressures, Le said, “that is fairly complex,” adding that the city was simply aware the lot was filling up. He noted that Edmonton’s population increase could be a contributing factor and that newcomers might not be familiar with the rules around abandoned vehicles.
Under city rules, a vehicle is considered abandoned if it remains parked and unmoved on a city street or public property for more than 72 consecutive hours. After that, it can be ticketed and towed. Vehicles may also be towed if they receive three tickets for the same violation in the same area.
Kieu said the impound lot’s current location has remained mostly unchanged since it began operating in 1997, with the same number of parking spots. EPS has been trying to address capacity issues since 2009, she said, and will work with the city to find a permanent solution.
Councillor raised concerns
While the backlog was still growing, Ward Anirniq Coun. Erin Rutherford sent a letter to the police commission expressing concerns about the lot’s capacity and its impact on the surrounding area amid construction. She asked the commission to consider prioritizing a relocation project as a capital request in the upcoming four-year budget.
The commission responded that the impound lot was expected to gain some extra space but would not seek relocation due to budget challenges.
