Limassol cracks down on abandoned cars

LIMASSOL City Council is cracking down on abandoned cars, implementing new measures to fast track their removal from public spaces.

The Council yesterday announced that a new system would be in place by the end of March, speeding up the procedure of removing abandoned cars and sending them for recycling.

“We are enforcing a new policy on abandoned cars left in public or open spaces in Limassol. The new procedure is more effective, minimising waiting time,” said Andreas Christou, Mayor of Limassol.

The new law requires that the following procedure is observed: first, abandoned vehicles are recorded and identified; then the vehicle’s owner is identified, in co-operation with the Road Transport Department. The authority will then send out a warning letter to the owner, post a warning on the vehicle, as well as publicise in two national daily newspapers the list of identified abandoned cars, giving the owners a deadline of four weeks to remove them.

After the deadline expires, the vehicles become the property of the Municipal Council, which has the right to send them for recycling. In the case of vehicles that have a valid licence, the Municipal Council has the right to auction them.

Limassol Council estimates that about 2,000 unwanted cars are abandoned each year. At this point, 180 cars that are ready for collection have been identified. Under the old system, which required a two-month waiting period, approximately 500 cars were recycled each year. With the entry of the new system this number is expected to rise considerably.

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