Get your derelict vehicles off the road!!
By VonDez Phipps
Reporter-SKNVibes.com
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – DERELICT vehicles deposited on public thoroughfares have been known to be one of the causes of numerous traffic accidents, and they are also health hazards to those who live within proximity.
In response to complaints from many frustrated drivers and concerned community members, especially in a certain section of Shadwell, SKNVibes decided to address the issue by conducting interviews with a number of individuals, including members of the Traffic Department and the Solid Waste Management Corporation (SWMC).
A driver, who frequents the Shadwell area, stated that on numerous occasions he would experience difficulty in manoeuvring his car along certain streets because they are congested with old abandoned vehicles.
He said sometimes cars may number up to seven aligned on the same side of the street, making it very similar to a one-way thoroughfare.
Many other drivers complained that it is only “an accident waiting to happen” and are concerned with the attempts made by authorities
to address this growing phenomenon.
SKNVibes contacted the Head of Traffic Department, Inspector Venetta Wyatt, who stated that she was unaware of the situation in Shadwell, but declared that the Traffic Department and the SWMC are currently “endeavouring to remove all broken vehicles” off the streets.
She outlined the formal procedure that is taken before any vehicle can be removed.
“We first have to identify the owner [of the vehicle] and serve [him/her] a notice to remove it by a given time. Some may get one day, three days or a week, depending on the circumstance.”
Wyatt hopes that the general public would adhere to the regulations stipulated by the Traffic Department and pointed out that persons who fail to comply may be taken to court. ~~Adz:Left~~
Wilmon McCall, Operations Supervisor at SWMC, was also contacted on the matter. He said they have made attempts to remove derelict vehicles but ran into trouble with the owners. He however noted that the problem was solved with the collaboration of SWMC and Traffic Department, which grants them immunity to prosecution.
“The problem is that the law defines a derelict vehicle as ‘one that has lost its economic value’; however, that has created confusion because people usually claim that there is some sort of economic value still left in abandoned cars.
“The new regulation should focus on redefining derelict to include vehicles that are left in a specific area for simply too long, because they are becoming a menace to society and create a condition for an unhealthy situation,” McCall said.
McCall clearly stated that it is not a new arrangement, and it comes on the heels of the second phase of the SWMC Recycling Programme. He further stated that they are now looking at the possibility to crush and ship derelict cars overseas for recycling.
He stressed that the new arrangement should include “abandoned vehicles in parking lots, mechanic shops, in yards of institutions, on the streets and in grasslands”, as he views their removal as “paramount to the whole arrangement”.
