Philly police have towed 3,100+ abandoned autos so far this year
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Philadelphia police have removed thousands of abandoned vehicles from city streets so far this year, but thousands more complaints remain unresolved.
Why it matters: Abandoned autos remain one of Philly's most persistent and most griped-about problems.
By the numbers: Police have towed 3,138 abandoned vehicles from Philly roads through July 26.
- That averages to roughly 15 vehicles a day.
- As of last week, Philly still had roughly 7,000 open 311 service requests for abandoned autos, per the city's open data portal.
Zoom out: Philadelphians have filed at least 8,350 complaints this year about deserted autos via the city's 311 system, as of last week.
- That makes it the second-most requested 311 service behind rubbish collection (and excluding general information requests).
The big picture: Mayor Cherelle Parker has also made removing the eyesores a core part of her pledge to make Philly the "safest, cleanest, greenest city" in the U.S.
Caveat: 311 requests don't represent the total number of abandoned vehicles.
- That's because they can include duplicates, and figures could be inaccurate due to data entry delays.
Flashback: Last year, police towed at least 5,750 abandoned vehicles.
- 2024: 5,900+ (Parker's first year in office)
- 2023: ~6,400
Context: Abandoned autos became a significant issue during and after the pandemic as removal wait-time averages ballooned past six months and complaints soared.
🪝 How it works: Report an abandoned vehicle by calling 311 or using the city's online form.
- Police can remove a vehicle within 24 hours after receiving a request or immediately if it poses an imminent safety or health hazard.
- Vehicles are considered abandoned after 48 hours on public property or 24 hours on private property.
Between the lines: Police generally investigate and tow a vehicle within 120 days, Police Capt. Shawn Trush tells Axios.
- Police declined to provide Axios with the current average wait time for officers to investigate an abandoned vehicle complaint.
What they're saying: Trush says that under Parker, the department has put more people on the problem and worked to target abandoned vehicles more efficiently.
- That includes hiring more tow-truck drivers and mandates to improve the city's response to abandoned autos as well as other quality-of-life issues, like short dumping and nuisance businesses.