Portland City Commissioner Chloe Eudaly said Friday night the city would not tow or write additional tickets for abandoned vehicles, a move that comes amid weeks-long school closures and public facilities shuttering amid coronavirus fears.

Eudaly made the announcement in a tweet and said the policy would be effective as long as Portland remains in a state of emergency. Eudaly oversees the transportation bureau.

But does this mean street parking is effectively free, too?

Is this a coronavirus parking holiday? Not so fast.

I have instructed @PBOTinfo to cease all ticketing and towing of abandoned autos as long as the City is in a declared State of Emergency—this is effective immediately. — Commissioner Eudaly (@ChloeEudalyPDX) March 14, 2020

Transportation officials said the policy doesn’t apply to drivers who leave their vehicles in a paid parking district.

“No other parking policies have changed,” Dylan Rivera, a transportation spokesman, said in an email. “Anyone that has a vehicle that overstays a time limit or meter limit can expect to get a parking citation.”

He added that abandoned cars that are parked in an area of town with meters or time limits would still accrue parking tickets. “The issue is abandoned vehicles in areas where we don’t have time limits or meters,” he said. “They will not be ticketed or towed.”

Vehicles are classified as abandoned if they are “illegally stored, in excess of 24 hours, on the street” or don’t have valid license plates appear inoperative, disabled, wrecked, or dismantled.

Eudaly’s office said that those people experiencing homelessness often live in vehicles that are classified as abandoned. “Our protocol for working with people living in their vehicles is to connect them with available public services and support," Margaux Weeke, a spokeswoman said."However, since available public services are currently stressed, Commissioner Eudaly wants to minimize unnecessary interactions and prioritize city functions that are critical to public health.”

She added that the city will continue to address “health and sanitation issues," the commissioner did not "want to risk further destabilization of individuals who are living in their vehicles during this public health crisis when it’s unlikely we’ll have resources to assist them.”

-- Andrew Theen; atheen@oregonian.com; 503-294-4026; @andrewtheen

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