After years of problems, Louisville's abandoned cars still have nowhere to go

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Years have gone by since problems surrounding Louisville's tow lot were first brought to light. But there are still no concrete solutions.

Broken down and abandoned cars have long been a problem in Louisville. By October 2020, there were more than 5,000 scattered throughout the city, according to a newsletter from Metro Council President David James. For years, however, there was nowhere to put the cars.

The towing of abandoned vehicles was paused in March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but after an "unacceptable" number of abandoned vehicles were left along roads and in neighborhoods, towing was restarted in July.

And in spite of millions of dollars allocated for the project, the city has still not found a suitable space for a new tow lot.

"We allocated $2 million two years ago for Mayor Fischer to purchase a new tow lot so we would have space to put new vehicles," James said. "It's extremely frustrating for citizens throughout the city."

James estimated there are still "thousands" of cars that need to be towed in Louisville.

"At this time LMPD has not identified any viable options available for sale. We will continue to explore options with Metro Facilities as they become available," an LMPD spokesperson said in an email. "In the meantime, we are currently working towards a multi-faceted solution to manage and reduce the number of vehicles at the tow lot."

With Louisville Metro Police's tow lot full, the city in 2020 contracted Suburan to haul abandoned and junked vehicles to its property off Fern Valley Road. However, that arrangement has been marred in controversy after a lawsuit claimed Suburban was illegally towing cars. The suit remains ongoing.

In June, Louisville Metro Council passed an ordinance that clarified cars left for more than three days would be tagged and then towed. But with nowhere to bring the cars, many have sat for weeks on end.

"We don't have any place to put vehicles that are towed," James said.

City officials have long said any location for the lot will need to be relatively flat, have 15+ acres and be close to an interstate.