Anyone who interacts with the Houston 311 system routinely, as I do, starts to receive notices about new 311 cases filed in the neighborhood. Mostly these are the same old kind of things; missed trash collection, potholes, overgrown yards, etc. Occasionally, they can be more interesting. This article was inspired by a recent report of a Mercedes G-Class SUV parked on East Woodland Street for an extended period of time.
According to Park Houston, “City Ordinance 26-93 states that a vehicle cannot legally park on the public street for more than 24 hours. This helps to reduce neighborhood blight and identify stolen vehicles.”
If a vehicle is parked on the street for an extended period someone can report it to 311. When that happens Park Houston will send a Parking Control Officer out to check out the situation. At the first visit, they put a warning on the window and mark a tire with chalk. This allows them to determine if the vehicle has been moved when they make a second visit a day or two later.
When the Parking Control Officer makes a second visit, a citation will be issued. On the occasion of a third visit, another citation is issued. If the vehicle is not moved in 48 hours after the second citation, it may be towed to impound.
The cost of each citation is a little bit greater. The cost to recover a vehicle from impound can be considerable.
At the time of this writing this Mercedes has been parked without moving for at least two weeks. A tire has been chalked. The notice and citations are on the windshield. It’s getting to the point where it may soon be towed.
WHCA had one of our constables run the plates. From that we found that the vehicle is registered to an owner who lives in 77007. It’s not been reported stolen.
We can only guess as to why it’s been parked there for so long. Perhaps they are on vacation with some friends who are Woodland Heights residents? And left the Mercedes parked on the street while they are away. If they’d left it parked in a driveway there’d be no issue at all. If this is the case, I fear that they’ll be in for a surprise upon their return.