Edmonton impound lot backlog drops 73% after overflow lot opens
The city created about 150 temporary spots at a former ETS Park and Ride, bringing abandoned vehicle inventory down from 682 to 181 since June.
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Edmonton is back to handling abandoned vehicles at a normal pace after the city and Edmonton Police Service created space in an overflow impound lot.
The city had been grappling with a backlog of stranded cars since earlier this year, sparking complaints from residents. The number of vehicles peaked at 682 on June 17, but has since fallen sharply to 181 as of Tuesday—a 73 percent drop.
The temporary lot is a former ETS Park and Ride site at 122 Street and 124 Avenue, right next to the police impound lot. Police had used some of that space as overflow since 2018 until construction on Yellowhead Trail began in 2024.
"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, on Wednesday.
Alan Le, superintendent for parking enforcement with the city, said the plan is to push hard over the summer and aim to reach zero vehicles. A vehicle is considered abandoned if it remains parked and unmoved on a city street or public property for more than 72 consecutive hours.
The impound lot's current location has remained mostly unchanged since it opened in 1997. EPS has been seeking a capacity solution since 2009, and the force will work with the city on a permanent fix.
