An Edmonton man is trying to get an abandoned vehicle removed from his street in a west end neighbourhood, but he was told by city crews he’d have to wait nearly a year.
In the summer, Paul Johnson noticed a partly-damaged Kia Sorento sitting across the street from his home in Lewis Estates.
“It’s all banged up all over. Lots of dirt and smears and everything,” Johnson explained.
The grey SUV is lightly dusted and dirty. Part of the front bumper is ripped apart. A tire has gone flat. The driver’s side window is smashed wide open with a drink left inside.
Both the City of Edmonton and Edmonton Police Service state on their websites that a vehicle is considered abandoned if it hasn’t been moved off a public road in 72 hours and city streets are not intended for long-term parking.
Johnson reported the issue to the city bylaw, hoping to get the vehicle towed.
Johnson said officers inspected the vehicle and left a ticket with a fine, but told him that it would take a while before this case was touched.
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“There’s no towing. They’re towing emergencies, police-generated tows,” Johnson told Global News.
“Other than that, they are not towing anything. (Impound) lots are full.”
The abandoned SUV has sat on the street for months.
Johnson said the vehicle has caused issues for his senior neighbours maneuvering around it to access their community mailbox.
He said he’s worried about the upcoming snowfall piling up and causing more traffic trouble.
“If there’s a car parked in your driveway, if there’s an abandoned vehicle on your property or your front porch, it’s just going to sit there,” Johnson said.
The city says after a vehicle is reported, an officer will begin an investigation and issue a 72-hour warning notice. But — there can be some delays in the towing process.
“If the vehicle remains upon officer follow-up, it may be ticketed and towed,” a spokesperson for the City of Edmonton told Global News.
“The City utilizes a triage system which prioritizes cases based on public safety and impact, so in some cases, a vehicle may take longer than 72 hours to be addressed,” the statement read.
The city deferred tow parking lot capacity levels to the Edmonton Police Service because it uses their lot.
Edmonton police say it is operating at limited capacity.
“For many years, we relied on the Calder Park and Ride Lot for overflow storage, but that space is now being used by PCL for the Yellowhead Interchange Project until late 2026,” Aminah Syed, a spokesperson with the Edmonton Police Service, said in a statement.
“At the same time, construction on our long-planned new tow lot facility has reduced available space on-site.
“To help manage these challenges, we are prioritizing space for vehicles that pose a public safety risk or are seized in connection with criminal investigations.”
Syed adds that police are triaging necessary cars until capacity improves and expects more space to open up by mid-2026.
Johnson says he’s frustrated, saying city services are letting him down, and there’s nothing he can do about it.
“I wish we could do it ourselves, but we’re not allowed to.”
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