Where Can You Scam Free Parking In Portland?

This map was made with data from the Portland Office of Management and Finance on requests for car-towing and impounds in the month of July.

There were 659 cars towed in the city limits last month, for what it's worth.

It's interesting to browse the map for a minute or two. Although some of the trends it reveals are not surprising—most tows happen downtown and in the inner East side—the map also contains a helpful lesson:

Don't try to squeeze free parking out of a Denny's or a Panda Express.

They're ruthless about calling in a tow truck, apparently.

View Portland Car Towing July 2011 in a full screen map

It's actually more interesting to note what businesses did not request impounds. Fred Meyer and Safeway scarcely appear on the list. New Seasons, Walgreens and Whole Foods don't appear at all.

That doesn't mean you can park at those places for free if you're not a shopper. It just means they didn't show up on last month's list, compiled by the city.

WWeek 2015