Snow tow: Yes, it's time to go
LOREN BENOIT/Press A 48-hour notice for removal is displayed on the driver’s side window of a snowed-in car on Seventh Street in Coeur d’Alene on Friday. Coeur d’Alene will start towing cars on Monday.
A 48-hour notice is displayed on a snowed in car on Ninth Street and Mullan Avenue. Coeur d’Alene Police has tagged around 400 cars since Tuesday and will start towing them on Monday. (LOREN BENOIT/Press)
A 48-hour notice for removal is displayed on a car on Ninth Street and Mullan Avenue on Friday. (LOREN BENOIT/Press)
A motorist turns north on Seventh Street by a snowed in car with a 48-hour notice for removal posted on the driver side window. (LOREN BENOIT/Press)
Tow trucks in Coeur d’Alene will be out in force on Monday, hauling away snowbound vehicles that are choking city streets, impeding traffic, disrupting plowing efforts and causing hazards.
Since last Tuesday, nearly 400 abandoned autos citywide have been tagged with 48-hour notices warning of an imminent trip to the tow yard if they’re not moved this weekend.
“We’ve been just bombarded with calls from vehicle owners worried about being towed,” said Officer Mario Rios of the Coeur d’Alene Police Department.
Officials say it’s the most cars tagged for a wintertime tow in Coeur d’Alene since 2012.
Tim Martin of the city’s streets and engineering department said the snowbound vehicles are especially a problem for plow crews working in sensitive areas like major collectors, and near traffic signals and intersections.
“When (cars) become like mounds of snow in a blinding snowstorm they’re hard to see and it causes problems,” Martin said. “Just about every block has got a car or two that hasn’t moved all winter.”
City officials are working with the owners of abandoned vehicles, contacting them in an effort to avoid the costly and time-consuming task of a tow.
“Our COPs (Citizens on Patrol) volunteers are reaching out to as many registered owners as they can to get them to move their cars,” Rios said.
The problem isn’t isolated to any particular part of town.
“It’s throughout the city and in some areas drivers are basically straddling the middle lane or turn lane just to get around. It’s definitely getting narrow out there,” Rios said.
The city’s code enforcement team, along with crews from the street department, on Monday morning will begin prioritizing tagged cars for towing. Vehicles in the most precarious spots will be towed first. That includes school zones, high traffic volume areas and especially narrow streets.
“I visited with the police department (Thursday) and they’re pretty sympathetic but it’s getting to be more and more difficult for our plows to get around,” Martin said. “It’s pretty daunting.”