``I called the city's number, 686-SNOW, and she told me that she had at least 30 calls with the same story.''
Nobody knows how many cars have been towed, or how many places they've been towed to, in part because so many agencies have been doing it.
The Philadelphia Parking Authority has towed some vehicles off emergency snow routes, although the agency was unable to provide an estimate yesterday of the number it had removed or where it had put them.
Those cars and others removed by the city are supposed to be registered so that owners can locate them by license number by calling 686-SNOW. Cars towed from a snow route to an open spot nearby would not incur towing charges but might get parking tickets, said Clarena Tolbert of the city Streets Department. If cars had to be taken to a city impoundment lot, the charge is $50 plus daily storage, she said.
SEPTA also may have towed vehicles from trolley or transit routes.
If a car was left along the Schuylkill Expressway, I-95, Woodhaven Road, the Vine Street Expressway or the Roosevelt Boulevard Extension - all roads plowed by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation - they were towed by one of several PennDOT contractors.
PennDOT's Lois Morasco said owners of those cars - about 35 at last count - could locate the lots to which they had been taken by calling the PennDOT at 215-225-1415.
Giudici finally found his car when he flagged down a huge police tow truck. The driver told Giudici he had moved all the cars from Broad to the 1200 block of Washington Avenue. Giudici set off on foot to reclaim his vehicle.
