San Jose is now towing abandoned cars again: Roadshow

Q: Why has San Jose stopped enforcing parking regulations? An abandoned car sat in front of our house almost two months. We reported it three times, to no avail. Finally, someone at Parking Compliance told us, “We can’t expect people to move their cars every 72 hours during a pandemic.” Now that we’re no longer in a lockdown, that seems just an excuse.

The problem with abandoned cars seems widespread. People up the street have had the same car sitting in front of their house since last July. In a nearby neighborhood, abandoned cars sat in front of fire hydrants and in clearly marked no-parking zones.

What’s going on?

Sam Zappen, San Jose

A: Some good news. The car that was parked in front of your house was towed. The Parking Compliance officer waiting for the tow truck explained that they were given permission just last month to start towing abandoned cars again. The city says its vehicle abatement program has gone through multiple changes since the start of the pandemic.

Said-Colin-A-City spokesman:

“Our parking officers are proactively patrolling every street in San Jose, looking for vehicles that meet the state’s definition of inoperable, pose a health and safety risk, or are an extreme blight concern.

“We are still taking vehicle abatement requests from the public, but they now must meet more stringent requirements. Since September, all requests received through SJ311 require that a photo be attached, confirming that the condition of the vehicle reported includes at least one of the qualifying criteria listed on our website.

“If officers suspect a vehicle is being used as shelter, they cannot take enforcement action. They will refer the occupant to our Housing department, who then reach out with resources. Similarly, if we identify a vehicle that has been previously reported as stolen, we forward that information to the police for follow-up.

“This new model is proving very effective, and is more equitable than the complaint-based model we previously relied on. While the number of vehicle abatement investigations has drastically decreased, the number of tows completed is comparable to pre-pandemic, traditional vehicle abatement operations. It has also prevented a potential 20,000-25,000 unnecessary field visits annually, in which we would arrive to the site of a complaint to find the reported vehicle was not there.”

Q: I would have no problem with putting speed cameras on Highway 17. If they did, they would easily collect the money needed to construct the Bullet Train into the South Bay.

Ed King, Sunnyvale

A: I hear you. The idea of speed cameras on Highway 17 was discussed a few years ago, but did not have support at that time.

Look for Gary Richards at Facebook.com/mr.roadshow, or contact him at mrroadshow@bayareanewsgroup.com.