A truck which has been parked adjacent to the I-5 overpass in east Green Lake is a source of growing frustration to nearby residents, according to one resident who wishes to remain anonymous.
The pickup truck, which is filled with plastic bags and empty plastic containers, has been parked next to the freeway’s overpass for at least three months. “Aside from it being a total eye sore,” the resident told us, “there can be between two and five camper vehicles in the area at the same time, and I don’t want to see the area turn into a transient hub.”
A Seattle Parking Ordinance limits the amount of time a vehicle may park on any Seattle street to 72 hours. Enforcement, however, can be sidestepped if the vehicle is moved any distance, even down the block. The loophole, Sgt. Dianne Newsom told us, is “very frustrating for everybody.”
The resident we spoke to says that several of her neighbors have reported the truck to the Seattle Police Department’s Abandoned Vehicle Hotline and multiple 72-hour notices have been placed on the vehicle. However, she reports, ”the City says it can’t do anything and that abandoned vehicles are a low priority.”
“They [the Parking Enforcement Officers that staff the Abandoned Vehicle Hotline] should not have said that we can’t do anything,” Sgt. Newsom told us. However, she said, Parking Enforcement Officers are not authorized to directly interact with vehicle owners.
Sgt. Newsom advises that, in addition to contacting Parking Enforcement via the Abandoned Vehicle Hotline, residents concerned about a vehicle that has not been moved in more than 72 hours should get in touch with Officer Travis Testerman. Officer Testerman, who patrols the greater Green Lake area, can be reached at (206) 233-3984 or at travis.testerman [at] seattle.gov.
