The City of Edmonton is looking to address the root of more than 53,000 parking complaints submitted last year as abandoned vehicles continue to drive residents mad. The five most called-about concerns to 311 in 2025 were parking-related, according to city data. Parking enforcement superintendent Alan Le says 20,000 of those complaints pertained to abandoned vehicles, followed closely by parking safety. Although staying over allotted parking times was lowest on the list of concerns, it did see the most tickets because of its active enforcement. Abandoned vehicles, however, are a different beast, Le says. “The problem with abandoned auto complaints is that one vehicle can generate multiple complaints from various residents in that neighbourhood,” he told CTV News Edmonton on Thursday. “That’s why you see a huge discrepancy between the number of complaints and the number of tickets.” A vehicle is considered abandoned if it’s left standing at one location for 72 consecutive hours. In order to have an abandoned car towed, officers must first issue a 72-hour notice to confirm it’s abandoned, then follow up. During that process, Le says, complaints may continue to roll in. Different times of the year – like back-to-school season in September – may also see a spike in parking problems. Tow lot expansion, completed earlier this year, has decreased the number of complaints received so far in 2026 by opening up 150 new spots for abandoned vehicles. “We’re hoping that once that gets resolved, more capacity opens up, and we’re going to be able to tow these vehicles faster.” Ward papastew Coun. Michael Janz is of the opinion that more should be done to punish those who park illegally. “If there’s one thing that drives me nuts, it’s people who abuse the handicapped stalls,” he said. “I’d like to see those tickets go up to $1,000 or more.” City council approved a $1 million increase to the traffic enforcement budget this year to boost those efforts. A 311 complaint can be made over the phone, online or through the app. With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Curtis Goodrum
