Makes proposal to encourage their removal
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - DERELICT vehicles are no doubt an eyesore to many, especially those who live within proximity of them, as they are most often unusable, old and abandoned with many missing parts.
For those parked on the side of the road, they often create difficulty for drivers and can be the cause of traffic accidents while all derelict vehicles pose health risks for persons.
SKNVibes spoke with the Operation Supervisor of the Solid Waste Management Corporation, Wilmon McCall, who explained the dangers and health risks of having derelict vehicles around the islands.
He also spoke of a proposal he made that he believes would force persons to stop dumping their unwanted vehicles in unauthorised places.
McCall said the Solid Waste Management Act has been changed with regards to derelict vehicles, noting that as long as a vehicle becomes an eyesore or an impediment it is considered derelict.
He explained that the law sought to broaden the definition of derelict vehicles to include those that are of commercial value.
"A vehicle was once considered derelict because it no longer had commercial value, but even a brand new vehicle parked a certain place for a specific time could be considered derelict. It is just not in the right place; it impedes the traffic and devalues the property around it by just being there."
McCall said that he made a count of derelict vehicles between Dieppe Bay and Conaree sometime last year (2011) and they amounted to some 600 left not just on the side of the road but also in bushes and the in front of people’s residences.
He gave details of some of the dangers these abandoned vehicles on the roadside and in bushes may pose.
"A derelict vehicle parked in the wrong place could give some criminal the opportunity to conceal himself and do damage to a resident or anyone in particular. That has nothing to do with the sand flies, mosquitoes, rats and other rodents as well as the unsightliness."
He said the derelict vehicles are breeding grounds for mosquitoes, especially the Dengue mosquito which could be very deadly.
He went on to explain that other pests and rodents such as rats, roaches and even spiders could make these abandoned vehicles their home and continue to spread into people's homes.
He also mentioned the difficulties drivers may experience when manoeuvring their vehicles along certain streets because they are congested with old abandoned vehicles.
McCall further explained that given the fact that the Federation no longer depends on sugar but focuses on tourism, having abandoned vehicles all around could deter tourists from visiting the island, adding that they [tourists] are looking for beautiful sceneries, not eyesores.
He went on to state that when the vehicles are finally removed from the roadsides and bushes, they are not brought to the Landfill but are instead taken to the mountains to be dumped.
He also said that there are some people who are inconsiderate to their neighbours, as they would have derelict vehicle(s) sitting in the front of their yards, not realising that it is an inconvenience to those they live next to.
McCall further said that situations such as this would actually devalue the neighbours' properties if they were to be sold.
He also spoke of the many mechanic shops around the islands that are filled with unused, unfixable vehicles; many of which are situated on the side of the Island Main Road.
McCall said that this, too, poses health risks and the oil taken from the vehicles are most often leaked into the drains which could be hazardous to others.
The Operations Supervisor made a proposal to the Solid Waste Management Corporation and he believes that this initiative would assist in the decrease of derelict vehicles lying all around the Federation.
"The proposal is that for as long as a vehicle is on the island, something must be paid to the government. At the end of every year that that vehicle is here, some monies are to be paid into the government's office.
"Even when it is not registered, the vehicle has an identity. The vehicle has a serial number and an engine number that gives it an identity. And in my honest view, until that vehicle is surrendered to Solid Waste Management and some communication between Solid Waste Management and the Inland Revenue...monies should be paid to the government."
He said that a proposal as that would encourage persons not to dump their vehicles in the mountains or in bushes or leave them on the roadside, but instead take them to Solid Waste Management so as to avoid paying for them when they are no longer of commercial value.
He believes that until a proposal such as that is enforced, the Federation would be filled with derelict vehicles.
