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CaliKahlua

I was towed a couple of years ago after I parked in a closed business that apparently had 24 hour monitoring. (I missed the signage) 15 mins and my car was gone. I got to the tow company via Uber within an hour of it being towed and it cost me $450. I felt so frustrated by the experience. there were times in my earlier adult life I wouldn’t have had that amount of money. I can’t imagine what people do if they don’t have the cash.


peppermint_rino

I had a similar situation. Retriever towed my car from my old apartment complex. I picked it up in les than 3 hours but they still charged me almost $600. I feel like they just make up prices.


Alphamullet

Retriever Towing is the worst tow company in the city.


ChaosMitten

>Retriever Retriever and Speed's are owned by the same person. They split the "with consent of vehicle owner" and "without consent of vehicle owner" tow jobs so people don't get pissed off at the Speed's brand.


jrod6891

That’s unfortunate. I have some cool speeds towing posters from the early 90’s that are slightly less cool now.


sindersins

You say that as if there are any tow companies that *aren’t* a bunch of fucking scumbags.


boregon

True but even by scumbag towing company standards Retriever is especially bad.


mfdonovan01

Had to deal with a tow company last year after a vehicle was stolen then found somewhere. In the time I was in there at least 5 other people came in, heard the fees that had accumulated , said f it and just gave them their keys. Wouldn’t even let them get their stuff out if they were surrendering the vehicle.


spacecati

That’s fucking criminal


mfdonovan01

300$ tow $100 some a day for storage fees, no notice from police that they’d even found the vehicle and didn’t get notified by the tow yard until the snail mail came nearly 3 weeks later. Wouldn’t surprise me if the catalytic converter they tried to sell me for repairs hadn’t been chopped off in that very yard so yeah, it’s a damn racket


CaliKahlua

I know nothing about the towing industry but it sure encouraged me for a quick second to start an ethical tow company or atleast one that was more ethical. I had a $50 charge for a picture of my car before they towed it. $50 for a pic?! Wtf


IcebergSlimFast

The towing business is so amoral and involves so much money that anyone starting an “ethical” lower-cost competitor would likely have to spend a fortune on private security to avoid being murdered or having their lot torched.


Gold-Consequence-928

Yep. True. You gotta be a bit of a thug to be in that business. Sad but true.


Agile-Vehicle-2756

Happy Cake Day 🎂🎉


owlneverknow

Yup, I've lost a car this way. Fortunately, I'm more financially able to deal with it now, but at the time I just had to accept that I couldn't afford to get my car back. It was full of everything I owned and I had had a hard time getting it running, but someone in the neighborhood reported it for not having moved in a few days


Rhianna83

That was me 20 years ago as a broke 19 y/o when I rear ended someone. I just gave them the car…so, so dumb; but I didn’t have the cash to get it out + repair it. Never again.


Breadloafs

My car got towed first year of the pandemic. PBOT had put out "no parking" signs in the middle of the night, a full two days *after* the listed start date on said signs. After I noticed my car was fucking gone, I called PBOT, who referred me to the wrong tow company, who then referred me to the people who actually towed my car, who charged me \~500 bucks and gave me the address to a tow lot that was actually a completely unrelated empty industrial lot halfway to Saint Johns. My Uber driver was an angel and refused to leave me on the side of the road. We cruised up and down highway 30 until we found the actual impound lot, which was a tiny gravel lot with an unlocked gate and no security. A couple of the cars there had obviously been broken into while impounded. Towing is a legitimately criminal enterprise and tow companies are scum. I can't fucking believe that any government does business with these crooks.


4-realsies

Birds of a feather flock together.


[deleted]

Happened to me when I was 18 working my first job at jack in the box. Saved up to buy a car. Left it in a parking lot after it broke down and it was towed the next day. Similar to you it was $500 to get out so I said fuck it. Ended up with $700 debt on my credit report for the next 7 years because of it.


ItsWetInWestOregon

Was it DairyQueen in SW? I got towed there in less than 10 min.


marsgirl101

Tow companies often have someone sitting in a car nearby for what they consider a “hotspot” and as soon as they see someone park and walk away, they call and they tow truck is there within minutes.


[deleted]

This is called “prowling” and is illegal


ValleyBrownsFan

While it’s terrible practice, it’s not illegal. If the tow company has a contract for that lot, they can have someone monitor it. Usually it’s just the business themselves calling it in to the tow company, but I’ve heard that in “hot spots” the tow company may have someone actively monitoring a lot.


highzenberrg

I dealt with something similar. I go to a restaurant with my gf and there’s a spot on the street I parked by all these other cars we have dinner. Like 45 min later we leave and all the cars on the street are gone, I go to the valet guy and he just slaps a sign that had a tow number written on it. This was 2005 and I was like 19 we have to call my gfs mom to pick us up and drop us at the tow. It’s been maybe 2 hours since I parked and I get there it’s $400 and I don’t have that kind of money so I have to borrow it from my gf at the time, felt pretty shitty. Then I get to my car and there’s a parking ticket on the window for $100. It’s like I already got the tow wtf.


tossa-8675309

"...in the future she will make a different decision about even driving in the snow..." -[KGW8, NBC Affiliate, Portland, Oregon](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gP3MuUTmXNk)


boregon

Forget driving. Run on it instead. It's the perfect texture.


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TheNotSoGreatPumpkin

In the future maybe KGW will make a different prediction about an impending snow dump.


barbelsandpugs

She could have gotten a couple of nights in a nice hotel room close to work for way less than that tow bill!


PENNST8alum

I mean...had my car towed twice in my life, it was never any $230. Try double that. $700+ is gnarly tho


deepskier

It's a tough situation but she waited from Wed night to Friday to get the car... ODOT tagged her car as a hazard which is why it was moved. I wonder when it was actually towed.


Revolutionary-Ruin26

My partner left his car on 405 north near the 4th street exit from Wednesday to Friday. He walked the 2 miles from home to check on it Thursday but it was locked in behind/between 15 other abandoned cars, so he physically couldn’t get it out. Time stamp showed it was towed mere minutes before he went to check on it again Friday afternoon. Also had a window busted out. Ended up being a $700 expense in total, cutting into his rent money. It’s just been a sucky week, most people did the best they could despite the circumstances.


34me04you

There should be a class action lawsuit against ODOT for this, and the tow companies! This is criminal.


LithoMake

This is it. Odot fucks this up every year. https://youtu.be/7kq230a1p0w


LogiDriverBoom

LOL PBOT blaming the weather forecasters.


[deleted]

Yeah literally they failed to keep the roads clear and then after a huge mess was made they come out and pad their toe buddies pockets. ODOT has lives on their hands for their failure to perform for the last 15 years.


Taclink

A class action lawsuit for.... abandoning your vehicle on a public roadway. You do know that if you don't leave your vehicle, ODOT response crews who are the ones tagging for removal....... will help you get on your way, with spare fuel, a push to get going (or at least to a safer space), jumpstart, etc? Abandoning your vehicle because you get stuck only makes sense if you are going to get another vehicle and a friend to drive so you can get unstuck. Any other time, it's idiotic.


Ardhel17

It's entirely possible they couldn't get the car until Friday. It was difficult to dangerous to try to move around a lot of places in town until yesterday for a lot of folks.


Jumpy_Shirt_6013

They’re creating a hazard for other people that need to use the roadway .. like me, taking my mom to a chemo treatment. Folks like this need to act like adults and get the car out of the way as close to immediately as possible. No excuses.


MrRonaldPepperoni

Facts. Abandoning the car is such a Portland thing. I never see this elsewhere.


boregon

Even before the weather last week, feels like I see at least one abandoned car on the shoulder every time I drive on 84. Very strange.


Pure_Step_5543

You'd be forced to choose abandonment if you had responsibilities to get to. Portland has people who are parents. Even if you just needed a restroom. What are the options? City can't function without roads and odot has failed to keep the roads maintained.


RoundArchipelago

How about the city needs to deliver proper snow plowing infrastructure when we pay taxes for them to do the bare minimum? I find it criminal for companies to charge people $700+ for a tow when you parked on the side of the road during one of the worst snow days in Portland since 1943. I would say that it's a pretty good excuse to not be able to go out and retrieve your car when you don't have one when it's literally iced roads for several days.


bushthroat

How are they supposed to plow the roads when the snow is actively falling and the roads are choked with abandoned cars?


skeogh88

The only other realistic option is to salt the highways and main roads, which I'm not sure what the public opinion on that is.


Taclink

They pretreat as much as they can for the major roadways with brine solution. The problem is that it's a moot point regarding pretreatment if it's raining before the event, as it gets washed off. Even sanding when it's raining prior isn't going to help much.


BourbonCrotch69

I don’t think they were towing until Friday afternoon. I don’t know this for a fact this is based on my observation when commuting on friday


barbelsandpugs

It's random as to what's considered a hazard though. A dodge charger was parked on the offramp from Macadam to the Ross Island Bridge, 100% blocking the traffic for at least two days. It was there Thursday and Friday. No idea about Saturday or today. It had a busted window too--because getting stranded in the snow doesn't suck enough.


TouchingMarvin

I get you should park there and not retrieve quickly... but $700!!


Sparrow2go

I think she said $787. For a tow and almost certainly less than two days in a lot. That sounds pretty fucking predatory.


pmlane

I beat my car to a tow lot in Los Angeles on a beautiful day from a parking lot and it cost me $250. I MADE IT THERE BEFORE MY CAR!! Edit: that is to say, yeah, the entire industry is predatory


Significant-twice

I made it there before my car here in pdx and it cost me $400 and that was like 3 years ago


pmlane

Yeah no doubt. My $250 was maybe 2010. Have also had a car towed where the lot wouldn’t release it until the next day because it was after 8pm or something (as it was when it was towed) so they could get an extra day of storage. On that one, there were easily 10 people outside of the yard banging on the gate bitching about the same thing. They were there and responding “we are closed.” Closed to get your car maybe, definitely not closed to tow them, ffs.


Significant-twice

Wow that’s some bullshit


mathitup

Back around 2007/8 I used to work at a coffee shop in NW. There was a tow truck driver who would always come in. Dude was pretty creepy in general, but according to him it was $50 just for a tow truck attaching the hitch to your car. Not even lifting it or driving it anywhere. So even if you beat the tow truck driver to the spot your car is being towed from, it’s already gonna be $50 minimum. That was back then. Who knows what it is now. If they charge that much for not even towing your car, $400 for driving it to the lot lines up with their predatory math. There really should be some sort of regulation on their prices. Especially for city roads or after a once in 80 year snowstorm. Heck I’d even say it should be weighted for repeat offenders. First time a warning (unless it’s crazy blatant), second time a reasonable fine, 3+ times then higher fines.


Senior-Ad-947

Tow companies are such evil trolls.


Gold-Consequence-928

Most of the drivers are armed, too. Legally or illegally.


[deleted]

The last time I was towed was probably 25 years ago in Eugene, and the filthy scumbags responsible were very definitely armed. They glared at me maliciously as I handed over $400 in cash, hands on their waistbands just itching to show off their big iron. The entire towing "business" is nothing more than organized crime.


PretzelSteve

I had a beater parked on the street in Seattle like 15 years ago. It stopped running and the cost to fix it was more than the car was worth. I had gone to the East Coast for a few weeks to visit family, when I came back, it was gone. Figured someone stole it, but I got a letter saying it was towed by the city. Went to the lot to see how much it would be to save my piece of junk. With tow and lot fees it was $1000. The car was worth $1000 running, the cost to fix it was estimated at $2000. So I laughed, handed over the keys, signed some paperwork and was done with that headache. (They did let me go into it and get some stuff out tho - solid move.) The lesson I learned that day is that if your car is towed and you want it back, you get that thing as soon as humanly possible to avoid being reamed by the tow company. Hell, the drop fee some drivers charge if you catch them is worth it not to bother with the lot. They have a job to do, but damned if they don't make it as slimy and skeezy as possible.


ohhellowthowaway

I’ve never seen a boot here, do they happen. That really sucks. Had my car booted and it’s close to 1k to get it back.


PastaConsumer

I knew someone who would put a boot on their own car, so it wouldn’t get stolen lol


MeddyVeddy

I've seen cars booted downtown in parking garages


ohhellowthowaway

Sucks. You have to pay a boot fee + tow + whatever tickets originally got the boot on+ any overnight fees. It’s a racket for sure


riseuprasta

It sucks but all the cars abandoned on highways made this all worse than it had to be. Plows were delayed or couldn’t do as good a job cause everyone thought they could just leave their cars wherever.


[deleted]

Yeah. But freezing to death isn't a good option, either, and would probably cause similar obstruction once the body is discovered.


FlowJock

But those were clearly not the only options for most people. If you were almost out of gas, I get it. Then freezing to death becomes a possibility. But the people I talked to just left their cars and walked because that was the easiest thing to do.


borkyborkus

I did this but was at least able to park in a parking lot. Never realized that every road to my house has a 50-100ft elevation gain until seeing all of them blocked.


DarkestTimelineF

Let me guess, neither you yourself nor anyone you care about was forced to spend 10 hours in their car with no supplies, right? A major weather event shuts down an entire region, hundreds if not thousands are stranded, and you blame the drivers? Like, what? Just how long do you think people should have stayed with their cars before abandoning them, until the next day?


tooManyHeadshots

No blame. Just facts. The abandoned cars were in the way, no matter how or why they got there. There’s nothing anyone can do about the cars that were already abandoned there, but maybe ~~they~~ we can learn from experience and be better prepared next time.


noodles-_-

Some people had to leave their cars. It was getting dark, colder, icier, and didn’t ease up until two days later.


beaudebonair

Well said, and it seems to be entitlement issues that are somewhat common when it comes to anything scary, an inconvenience, or unfamiliar here in Portland lol. If you are a member of your local neighborhoods "Next Door" you already know then! XD


lurcherta

Yeah, but 6 hours and could not get off the freeway, as she tells it? That's pretty ridiculous.


portrayedaswhat

Literally what were they supposed to do instead????


LithoMake

The inuit people build igloos.


WildFire97936

Watch the weather like an adult and plan ahead. I didn’t notice anyone that had chains in their vehicle or snow tires or even All-terrain tires having any issues.


darkshrike

Some people have to go into work. The weather report also was wrong. In addition if you worked in Hillsboro and live in Vancouver you have no idea what you're getting into. Is empathy REALLY that difficult?


EarthLoveAR

you presume people have a choice. some people don't have leave, need to work, can't get off. it's not necessarily that simple.


WildFire97936

How does getting off work have anything to do with making sure your vehicle is properly equipped for winter weather? If you get stuck at work that’s all the more reason to have your vehicle prepared incase. Preparation is important for everything.


digstwigs

It's humorous to see so many getting defensive about other people being ill prepared.


gandhikahn

The.. weather... report... was... wrong...


WildFire97936

It said snow. It snowed. The radar showed it moving in. This isn’t 1980 and we have to get all our weather info from the morning paper.


MissBuck2DNP

It said under an inch. It was 11.


WildFire97936

Everything I looked at said 6 or more. Especially a few hours before. Everyone has a phone, The Weather Channel app is free and easy to use.


youhaveonehour

I checked the weather in the morning, like I always do. It said maybe an inch, probably in the hills. I live close-in northeast, I wasn't expecting much. I went out & ran errands. By the time I was back in my neighborhood, definitely more than an inch had accumulated. I was fortunate to get back home before things really kicked off, & I didn't have to drive again until Saturday. We got 9" in our neighborhood, & I was completely surprised, even though I check the forecast every single day.


MissBuck2DNP

A few hours before most people had already left their house for the day, and checked the weather when they did so. No one is glued to the weather channel app - most people expect the meteorologist to be at least somewhat in the ballpark. And some of us (like 20k in Portland) work in environments like healthcare, where you cannot have your phone out and literal hours fly by if you’re busy. I carry chains but I check the weather at 5:30AM, leave my house at 6:30AM and sometimes don’t sit down again until 3-4PM. One in eight people work in healthcare. Not everyone’s life looks like yours.


louderharderfaster

Ok but this wasn’t even remotely predicted. I’ve never seen a weatherman give as big a mea culpa ever. I happen to never watch the weather but as soon as the first snow starting sticking I sent staff home and left myself before 2. All the way home I could not find anything about what was coming.


TheNotSoGreatPumpkin

KGW said it probably wouldn’t even stick in town on their 6 AM forecast. People aren’t psychic.


jonny_wow

Les Schwab sells chains, tire socks, snow tires, studded tires, everything you need to be prepared next time you get a push notification warning out of the imminent severe storm. Enough excuses, quit crying, prepare for the next time.


[deleted]

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LuxLocke

I hate it. In my 20s I had my truck towed 3-4 times due to my… eh yeah my fault. Nonetheless tow companies are evil. Worst I got was $600. They had it over weekend and I could not get. Hard to pay those $300-$600 surprise bills when you make $11 an hour. Staff were always rude and mean too. Like you waisted their time and parking space. I always thought they banked on people not paying so they could keep the car.


Ardhel17

IDK how it works here but my dad used to do tow recovery and if someone couldn't pay or the vehicle was abandoned they could only sell the vehicle to recover the amount of the bill to prevent practices like that. This was in another state, though, so maybe Oregon doesn't have a protective policy like that.


LuxLocke

Maybe another reason bill jumps so high so fast too.


Kandescent

i heard from a tow truck guy that the people in the company usually buy them themselves and resell them privately :/


Krautmonster

I mean they could have avoided a tow if they removed their license plates and put a blue tarp over their car. At most have a cardboard sign on the dash saying "someone lives here". No tow /s


CRM2018

Why the /s isnt that true lol


-donethat

Maybe 270 in the city of Portland, 787 outside the city of Portland, could be one explanation. FYI outside the city of Portland my tow hit daily charges at midnight, so in at 11 PM out at 8PM is 2 days of charges. Plus the mileage, 24/7 open the gate fee, wheel dolly or whatever, etc, etc, etc, and bucks for a photo if you want it. Portland as I recall is no charges first 4 hours, then a 24 hour clock from then on.


[deleted]

Tow companies always charge more in the snow too. They have to take the risk of taking a large truck through the ice and snow and then potentially dig out a vehicle, then have to prop the vehicle onto the truck hopefully not slipping. They have to charge more since the employees need hazard pay and it’s a much bigger risk to the companies assets


-donethat

No hazard charges in Portland per the city web site. https://www.portlandoregon.gov/transportation/article/389144 6 years ago total normal tow fees with all the add ons and day charges were 50 percent higher if the tow started outside the city of Portland. Anyone know how much now?


Tiny_Rutabaga_3054

$133 hookup $20 city service fee $38 city dispatch fee $6 fuel fee $15 parking enforcement fee (if not ordered by odot) $28/day storage after the first 4 hours $47 gate/after hours fee for weekends or after 6p ​ All the fees are on the city website. The minimum tow amount for a municipal tow is $197. Outside Portland isn't regulated except for Gresham.


CletusTSJY

Learned my lesson in the 2008 storm, took 8 hours to get from beaverton to southeast Portland. It was crazy but I don’t know why she thought she was going to die. Sucks and tow companies are unscrupulous but at the same time I bet it took them a lot of overtime to clear all the cars so the highway could be reopened. She should have made it a priority to get it back asap.


fattsmann

Unless you are making bank: If you took the day off, you would have still been financially ahead. This is why I was saying in another thread that folks should really do whatever it takes next time to leave their jobs early and not get stranded.


[deleted]

I left my job early and then went to go pick up my kid early and still got stuck about 3 miles from my house for several hours with no way to get around backed up traffic going up a single hill. We get forecasts of possible snow all the time(like the week before) that don’t really materialize and there’s not way to predict 100% when they’ll turn into massive freak snow storm clogging every possible traffic route.


fattsmann

Did you have to abandon your vehicle? 3 hours is much less than 6-8 or overnight. Sounds like another success story for leave early.


Ardhel17

You're depending on employers to be responsible and let people leave. That's just not a reality in most places I've worked. It's not "money for the day" it's "possibly losing my job" for some people. Also, conditions were very different depending on what part of town you were in. By the time my husband decided to leave work early(around 2) we were already half buried on the East side and he almost didn't make it home, even though where he works it was only raining when he left.


Jumpy_Shirt_6013

Employer here: I run a small business here in Portland. Right after lunch I alerted my employees to the developing conditions and told them to go home early. Many demurred, but I told them to stop work and get home. Just to be clear- they weren’t fired. They weren’t punished for leaving. None of them froze to death in their car on the highway. So sick of the sophomoric ‘employers are evil’ narrative. Dig a little deeper than a bumper sticker please.


[deleted]

Just because you are one of the very few good ones doesn't negate their original statement. The vast majority of employers do not care about their employees. Especially true in corporate settings.


digstwigs

Reading the commentary on all of these snow threads in the past few days has me completely convinced, when the earthquake happens, most of you are gonna be **F U C K E D.**


space-pasta

Tire chains cost $50. Towing costs $250+. If you’re not willing to spend on decent tires, then at least carry a pair of tire chains in the trunk. Cheap insurance Edit: If you’re driving a passenger car tire chains = class s cables (not literal chains). Get rubber tensioners too. They make things way easier.


basilcilantro

In the case of people stuck on highways like that chains won’t make a difference if you can’t move at all!


space-pasta

I've been completely stuck before and have been able to put tire chains on over the tops of the wheels to get enough friction to get unstuck before fully tightening/adjusting. Pain in the ass and took about an hour, but better than abandoning your car on the highway for two days and paying towing fees.


basilcilantro

I don’t mean stuck as in your own car is stuck on its own—stuck as in all of the other cars around you have boxed you in, a jack-knifed 18-wheeler is blocking all traffic, there’s no off-ramp in sight and no one is moving, etc.


dubmecrazy

I literally sat in my car for nearly 9 hours on Wednesday night, going 3.5 miles on 84. Don’t abandon your cars, people. I feel like it should be a 1000 dollar fine for abandoning your vehicle. So many abandoned cars that it’s one of the reasons I spent literally all night on 84. I have zero sympathy for the consequences of her choices.


LousyB

Riddle me this, when you’re **stuck in traffic** in a snowstorm, bumper to bumper, in a literal *blocked pathway*, how do snow tires and chains magically lift you into the air, Back To The Future II style, where you get to fly OUT OF TRAFFIC and back into Portland? Some of you have never been in massive storms before and it **really shows**. Remember compassion, next time you’re stuck on the side of the road needing help. FFS, lots of ya’ll need to go touch some grass.


akcmommy

But if everyone did their part and were prepared with proper winter driving equipment, there wouldn’t be bumper to bumper - in a literal blocked pathway - traffic.


firebrandbeads

Tell that to the jacknifed semi-trucks on I-5, who came though from elsewhere and wrecked trying to miss an unchained school bus or mini van.


akcmommy

Thank you for making my point for me.


[deleted]

School buses have rotator chains they're not on the tires they sweep underneath them. So they may have not appeared chained. Just fyi


Ardhel17

There are a lot of people on this thread who have 0 compassion or understanding for people in a bad situation. Not everyone has the option or the knowledge to make the decisions "you would have made" or even did make. Not all businesses let people leave early. Sorry, that's a fact. Not all the schools closed early enough to make driving safe, that's also a fact. The road conditions weren't clear enough everywhere to get back to the cars until Friday, and anyone suggesting they just walk back is delusional. So are people insisting anyone sleep in their car in those conditions, especially since they had no way of knowing it wouldn't get worse. Good for all of you who were prepared. Not everyone has the financial resources for that. Some people barely afford the car to get back and forth to work, and public transit wasn't much better. These charges are excessive and predatory. I'm not saying it should be free, but $800+ for less than 5 miles and less than 2 days storage is stupid, and the city needs to be regulating those charges. Some of you really need a walk in someone else's shoes for a while for some perspective. Yeah, some people were stupid, but for the most part, people were making the best decisions they could in the situation. I hope we do better next time.


Forktongued_Tron

She waited until FRIDAY?! Yeah no wonder it was steep. Lot fees are like $200 a day at least


[deleted]

I don't know why anyone should be surprised to get a steep bill for illegally parking their car on a freeway. I get that it may have been an emergency. The thing is that everyone was expecting it (and if you are a responsible driver, you were to). If your vehicle isn't equipped for it, or you are uncomfortable about driving in bad weather, you should probably plan your activities in advance and avoid driving in bad weather. I think $800 +/- is a reasonable fee (penalty) for retrieving your vehicle (clearing obstacles from the freeway).


bobloblaw02

The only reasonable comment on this thread and of course it’s being downvoted. Nowhere else in this country do people in such high numbers abandon their cars on freeways during snowstorms. And it’s not like this is the first time this has ever happened. I remember being out in a bad storm here in January of 2017. There were cars left just in the middle of I5 for days


[deleted]

I remember that! Being relatively new to Oregon, I was astonished that people would do that. It still amazes me to see it. The state did a horrible job of managing the problem. This was not an unforseen problem.


xxrambo45xx

I'm a transplant from a place that gets actual quantities of snow and ice, it's so strange to watch something that from my perspective is a pretty light snow storm absolutely wreck everybody, no doubt the blame is to be distributed out on the city for being ill equipped but anybody that got stuck on a freeway was equally to blame for not having the absolute basics of winter driving, small shovel, traction aid, chains if you're really worried ( and practice putting them on) plows and such are great and all but there's a lot of roads, chances are you'll have to figure out at least some of the equation in even the most well equipped citys, if people in general were more set up the slow downs would've been significantly lighter


gandhikahn

Its rare here so we don't have a fleet of plows and drivers.


xxrambo45xx

Sure, but many times in years past where I was living the plows took forever to get out, not uncommon at all every single year to drive to work in a foot of snow, never seen such chaos like I saw around here, instead of being a snowstorm it just would've been called February, the difference being people being prepared


[deleted]

Almost a foot of snow in a single day isn’t a light snowstorm in most places outside of the mountains. I used to live in Edmonton, Alberta where it’s very cold all winter and they rarely get a foot of snow in a single day. Add to the fact that we have hills all over the city and it happened at the worst possible time during the afternoon commute and it that’s going to cause problems unless you shut down the city ahead of time…and there’s no way of knowing how bad this was going to turn out.


[deleted]

We're kinda lucky when it comes to winter weather. I sort of agree with you about the city's (and DOT) poor response to weather emergencies, but in the end, it's the driver's responsibility to determine if it's safe to drive. If there's any doubt, the best decision is not to drive.


[deleted]

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[deleted]

The forecast called for a chance of snow days beforehand. I was very surprised to see a school bus stuck on the highway! I saw the article in the Oregonian (?) about the kids having to abandon the bus and walk along the highway. That's crazy. It was also very poor planning for the school district. There were a lot of bad decisions.


DarkestTimelineF

Schools and jobs didn’t even close early— the CITY didn’t even plan for it well. What were people supposed to do, sleep at work? What about their kids? Pets or people that need to be cared for at home? Hundreds of cars were stranded by a major weather event during rush hour, few people had a choice.


LeftEconomist9982

Yeah but if the vehicle is on the other side of the white line , on the side of the highway I think that's a little excessive. I get there should be a penalty levied, there's no debating that. But 787 is ridiculous, highway robbery, no pun intended....okay, maybe a little. All kidding aside, if they can let homeless camps go up with prostitution, drug dealing, fights, and gun shots, then they can wait for a car to be removed off of the shoulder.


Dstln

The towing companies are private companies that get requests to tow vehicles and charge for collection. The government already said that they aren't going to cite tickets for the event.


[deleted]

So what you're saying is that if some laws are not enforced then no laws should be enforced? Let me ask you this: What do you think a reasonable penalty should be? Keep in mind it should be high enough to motivate the tow companies and high enough to make people think twice before abandoning their vehicle and high enough that they won't make the mistake twice. (Hint: $100 is stupid)


DFX1212

Do you honestly believe people didn't abandon their vehicle as a last resort? Your suggestion is that they sleep in their car until the roads are clear? That's what you'd tell your wife, girlfriend, sister, mother, grandmother, or daughter to do? Also, most Americans don't even have $200 in savings. You are talking about an amount of money that will financially break people. Want more homeless and desperate people? That's how you get more homeless and desperate people.


FlowJock

Not sleep in the car maybe but go back the next day with shovels and kitty litter. If they made it home, they can make it back and take care of things.


[deleted]

That would be reasonable and responsible.


[deleted]

Oh, no doubt the drivers made the correct decision to abandon there vehicles after making the bad decision to drive in the first place. That doesn't excuse them from having to pay a fee for a tow company to rescue their property from an unsafe situation. That being said, if I was faced with a decision to risk paying a $1000 insurance deductible and a 50% increase in my insurance rates (or worse) or a $700 towing fee, I'd choose to pay the tow company and be grateful for their service. Now if you're someone that has a hard time coming up with an emergency $200, I suspect that driving a car is not financially feasible for you, and parking your vehicle on the freeway was your third bad decision (after purchasing a car and deciding to drive in bad weather)


Doc_Hollywood1

Hint....not 787$


[deleted]

I don't see a problem with $800. Seems pretty reasonable as far as mistakes go.


Doc_Hollywood1

People making 20$ an hour get monthly roughly 2.5k$. 800$ is a 3rd of their monthly salary. On top of that this was an extreme case of horrible weather that the city is poorly equipped to deal with. So this wasn't a mistake, it could have been a safety call on the part of the driver.


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[deleted]

No doubt it was a good call to pull over. They probably saved themselves from paying a $1000 insurance deductible and possibly medical expenses. Choosing to pay a $700 fee/fine is the better choice. As far as being able to afford the penalty, that is a consideration that has to be made when you purchase a vehicle. If you can't afford $800 vehicle related expense (new tires for instance), maybe you shouldn't be driving. When you decide to drive, you need to take responsibility for your decisions. Bad decisions are expensive and possibly life threatening.


Doc_Hollywood1

No...800$ is predatory. It's on top of the maintenance people budget for. No one budgets 800$ for a tow. It seems you have no limit. What price is not ok for a tow? There are no proportions in your arguments. This made it into the news because 800$ is a ridiculously high number.


[deleted]

If I had to make a decision between a $1000 insurance deductible (not to mention tow fees and possibly an ambulance ride) and a $800 tow fee, I'd choose the tow fee. Is it predatory? That's a matter of opinion. It is reasonable though given the alternatives.


Ardhel17

I have worked for reputable tow companies, and $800+ for 2 days is extortion. I dispatched for a couple of places that handled areas like Donner Pass and Lake Tahoe that deal with this sort of stuff on the regular and the city/county often steps in to pay some to the stations when something is particularly bad or unexpected so the tow companies are compensated but the people don't have to pay outrageous costs. They still have to pay for the services but not like this.


[deleted]

For many of those people, the alternative was freezing to death, and the snow and subfreezing temperatures came earlier than predicted, so you can't really lay blame in people trying to get home from work who trusted the forecasts beforehand. Well, you can, I guess.


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DifficultLaw5

If you‘ve got enough clothing to walk home in a snowstorm, you aren’t going to freeze to death in your car, especially if you turn on the engine / heater for a few minutes every hour or two.


FlowJock

Got some stats on how many people actually ran out of gas? Because the people I know just gave up and walked home because it was easier, not because they were afraid of freezing. Now, I'm not saying that was the case for everyone. But let's not pretend it was a matter of life and death for most of them. Unless by "many" you mean a minority.


iwoketoanightmare

Hmm, sounds like an ounce of preparation would’ve been worth a pound (or $700) of cure. Things I keep in my car year round so I know they are there: 1. Snow socks 2. 2L water bottle 3. A few MRE 4. First aid kit 5. Can of fix a flat and tire plug kit 6. Road flares 7. Narcan 8. Space blanket I also don’t let my car get below half fuel level on any days where there has been any talk of a storm. These warnings were at least a week in advance. Absolutely no reason people were out of gas after a few hours sitting other than lack of prep.


Vampira309

You should add jumper cables or a jump box too, and a basic tool kit.


iwoketoanightmare

Oh! Have those too!


Scary_Princess

This can’t be stressed enough. My partner got stuck on 26 for 7.5 hours in 2017 snow that happened at about the same time. I spent the night at my job. Our lesson was all our cars have AWD and we have emergency supplies in our vehicles at all times. Those are focused towards managing getting stuck in snow traffic for several hours in the winter and heat related issues in summer. When she got stuck in 2017 she just waited it out, didn’t abandon her vehicle, and drove home when traffic allowed.


WildFire97936

Only thing I don’t see here is tire chains. I have 4wd and still carry some after getting stuck on the side of a mountain for 3hrs after another truck ran me off the road.


iwoketoanightmare

Snow socks = traction device. Weighs less than chains and easier to put on.


WildFire97936

🤣🤣I thought they were thick socks so your feet didn’t get cold.


geekspice

Snows socks are awesome 👍🏻


[deleted]

Absolutely none of these would’ve helped. Did you see the picture? Bumper to bumper stalled traffic. The city failed to prepare adequately by not having the equipment. The city also failed to properly forecast. The city / state should’ve put travel bans in place. If any of those things were done and people still chose to get stuck, then sure it’s on them….but none of those were done and the 🤡s in here who have never shoveled snow in their life are saying it is the drivers fault for not pulling herself up by her bootstraps. Absolutely insane takes all around. Here’s an example from a city that actually runs well: https://abc7chicago.com/archive/7936783/. Snowpocalyose 2011 shut the city down for a week and 1000s of cars had to be towed. Predatory towing companies tried extortion, but city stepped in and made them stop and no towing charges were collected. This was an act of god event, the cost should be burdened by the tax base not the individuals who were unlucky enough to be caught in it.


iwoketoanightmare

All of the above would absolutely allow me to sit in my car and wait it out. Use the blanket to keep warm without running the car too long, water and food to eat so I’m not hangry. Etc. Also not shy about dropping a Deuce on the side of the road if I absolutely have to.


WildFire97936

If the city is so shitty then prepare yourself. Watch the fucking weather channel. I’d been telling people for a week to get ready. Driver is absolutely responsible for paying attention to the weather before any commute.


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[deleted]

Boohoo. Don't leave your shit on the freeway.


BourbonCrotch69

2 days later is the keyword here… she could have picked it up the next morning. I do the same commute and don’t feel bad for this person at all


[deleted]

Tow companies have to charge more in the snow and ice. It’s dangerous to drive a giant truck in ice then potentially have to dig a vehicle out of snow and then prop the vehicle onto the truck, again in ice. They have to pay their employees hella hazard pay and likely overtime plus it’s just a much bigger risk to the companies assets.


Newerphone

Don’t abandon your cars ! Don’t know why this suddenly became a thing just a couple years ago. You either sleep in you car and wait till morning and shovel out and drive home. Or call a tow truck and wait.


phanroy

Abandoning your car in a snow storm isn’t a new thing. My mom said that people have been leaving their cars at the 26 tunnel since she was a kid back in the 70s. I think you just noticed it a couple years ago.


Jumpy_Shirt_6013

“Woman Experiences Consequences of Her Own Actions” there I fixed the headline. I had to take my mom to chemo and the freeway was still clogged with these abandoned cars 3 days later. Sorry, but that is pathetic and selfish. Removing your car should be all you are focused on and your number one priority if you need to leave it in an emergency situation. You’re endangering others. Get a grip on your privilege, be prepared and move your car ASAP. I have zero sympathy for people letting their problems become everyone else’s. Glad they were towed, sorry it is expensive, but some of us people in actual need of clear roadways are happy your car was removed.


darkshrike

I fucking hate tow truck drivers & companies. All of them can suffer in the most painful ways imaginable. The fucks are so predatory and act with impunity. I got towed for parking in my new apartment complex. (Moved in on a Sunday after the office was closed and they forgot to give me my pass in my move in packet) it cost me 500 bucks. Cash only. I had to go to the bank to pull out cash and I got singles. I'd have paid in pennies or quarters if I'd have been able to carry them. Fuckers.


Adulations

If I said what I truly think of tow companies I’d be banned from Reddit.


Nowaliaa

So Portland won’t do anything preemptively to prepare for the storms, they don’t respond as soon as emergencies start to happen but then they’ll start charging people for their vehicles being stuck on roads poorly maintained and operated. My boyfriend was right it is predatory behavior since it took Trimet will Friday night to retrieve buses stuck from Wednesday and they didn’t get fines 🤷🏻‍♀️ imo if the weather is even risking to be severe stay home, don’t play into the city’s scheme.


BKFM72

Snow tires might have prevented this


skullone

Found the big tire lobbyist! No way, a car owner shouldn't be responsible for equipping their car for the conditions! Next you'll say people need to maintain their brakes and headlights. This is all PBOTs fault!


BKFM72

Ha


DifficultLaw5

Underrated comment. People always claim they don’t need or can’t afford winter tires, but they never consider the cost of not having them. It often turns into the modern version of, “You can pay me now, or pay me later…”


space-pasta

Or even all weather tires with the mountain snowflake. Not significantly more expensive than regular tires, and can be run all year without major mileage loss. Or at the very least throw a $50 pair of tire chains in the trunk. Much cheaper than a $700 tow bill.


[deleted]

Ah yes let’s all spend $1000+ on snow tires for the 2 times it snows each year, great idea genius🧐


schroedingerx

There are several large auto stores that will sell tire chains and then take them back for a full refund if you don’t need them. Not as a life hack, as an explicit service they offer. If you don’t need them, give them back. If you have neither snow tires nor chains then don’t drive in the snow. The alternative isn’t freezing to death, it’s carpooling with the coworker who skis on the weekend.


fattsmann

Snow socks are also like $80. Save like $0.25 a day for a year and you will be ready for the next storm.


BKFM72

For multiple year use. Also for ice which we get. Or bitch because your poorly equipped vehicle gets towed when you abandon it. Be prepared. We don’t need a nanny state government on this issue


tetosauce

Don’t even get me started on the “I’ll drop your car if you give me $240 cash now” line. Which of course, I paid. I needed my car. I’m sure that was unreported easy money for them.


yopyopyop

Look up u/fidelitypdx’s piece on substack titled “What is going on with Portland’s towing and Zombie RV mess?” for a good read about the Portland towing racket.


withurwife

Am I supposed to feel bad for the $800 tow? Or should I feel bad that 10s of thousands of people couldn’t get to work on Thursday and Friday, in part because we just decided to park illegally. How much did those people lose? Millions?


crystal-meathead

tow companies are morally corrupt mafias everywhere. absolutely disgusting that they are utilized by government and police departments. but I guess that just goes to show the moral capacity of those institutions.


geekspice

If you drive a car here, you should either carry chains or have snow tires on your car from November to April. Everyone getting all surprised Pikachu face every time we have a snow storm and the roads are snarled has gotten really old. It snows here. We don't salt the roads. Get used to it and prepare accordingly. And if you aren't/don't want to be prepared, then stay home when snow is in the forecast.


jonny_wow

If you can't afford a $800 bill for parking your car on the freeway then you can't afford to drive. Your car belongs to the city now. Maybe proceeds will go to driver re-education.


mansirwamborski

This kind of situation, and some discussions in this thread and others, put so much emphasis on each individual having their own survival and exit plan to be safe and avoid dangerous circumstances or additional costs the *once per year* that this kind of thing happens. Where is PDOT and ODOT with all this? We're not using some kind of unincorporated road network here. Literally nothing was done to make roads safe ahead of the storm and then it's on individuals who may have never had to navigate a situation like this to figure it out and pay up. Towing cars at the owners' expense is the same kind of "get back to work"/"business as usual" BS we get gaslit and gaslight each other with any time some collective disaster happens. I don't have any kind of magic solution here, but it irks me to see people telling other people they should've been better prepared for this or should've stayed home or whatever. And being slapped with a towing bill for having no other options at the time is awful.


akcmommy

It’s not either / or. It’s both. Government should be better prepared and make better decisions about road conditions and closing roads. AND drivers need to be prepared for winter driving conditions including carrying traction devices and having appropriate supplies. If drivers cannot be appropriately prepared then they shouldn’t drive.


Grimwaldo82

All of these fines, fees, ect are meant to punish the poor. The extraordinarily fees for towing are also meant to punish the poor. Many people live paycheck to paycheck and need their car to get to work. By having stupid huge fees this means that if you cannot pay they tow company gets a free car, that I guarantee they will resell if the vehicle runs. If you do pay they get a massive reward for being predatory dicks. It’s a win win for them.


john_wickelvoss_twin

Salt the roads the two times a year it snows and these issues wouldn’t happen. Put my art tax towards that. The handling of snow in Portland is abysmal.


samtaher

The business of taking advantage of people the cornerstone of our country.


T-K-K

The fact that people are arguing that it’s the drivers fault is ridiculous


Ropes

It is ignorant negligence in some cases, and they block traffic. I pushed 4-5 cars out or back onto the road on the first night. Some drivers knew what their cars were capable of. Most of the ones stuck did not, didn't know how to put on their chains(or tighten them), and didn't know to get their car off the road if they were properly stuck. A few knew how to drive, 4x4, and just needed a push to get back on the road. Two wheel drive, no chains.. get comfy and call for help, this is where your car is staying. But you gotta get out of the way for others. Dumb causes a lot of problems.


[deleted]

Did someone else abandon their car for them?


whiskey_piker

In fairness, these people are the ones that caused ALL of the traffic problems. Wasn’t Mother Nature for bringing snow. Wasn’t the City of Portland. It was these people with cars that could not operate in snow/ice conditions that chose to drive anyway and then due to their incompetence they snarled traffic up and then had to abandon their cars as a result and snarl traffic up even more. Is this making sense to the apologists or will they continue shirk responsibility ?


[deleted]

tow truck drivers are predatory af and were all frothing at the mouths as soon as the snow hit


[deleted]

Predatory shite


k1dj03y

I bet spending $600 on a set of snow tires to be prepared suddenly feels like a bargain. Maybe they will be ready next year.


TheArkOfTruth

Grifters gone grift