Dead cars blot landscape
They’re eyesores, but the rules are the rules, says NZTA
Roadside litter has always been a smear on parts of the Hawke’s Bay landscape, but some chunks of litter are slightly bigger than others. And they’ve been drawing attention recently, with one person posting on social media that there’s no place for “heavy metal sculptures” in the region.
It has been a long-running issue, derided by one truckie as such a big distraction that it has become a safety issue.
The New Zealand Transport Agency is very much aware of it, regional transport systems manager Oliver Postings said.
But although the seemingly abandoned damaged cars were clearly an eyesore the agency had to follow correct removal processes for vehicles left beside state highways, he said.
“For any vehicle parked in an unsafe position we will relocate it somewhere safe,” he said.
Postings said the first step was to contact the registered owner and ask they take the vehicle away.
“They are generally given seven days to advise what action they intend to take, and will remove the vehicle at their or their insurance company’s cost.”
He said if the registered owner could not be located the agency’s contractors would step in and remove the vehicle and store it until it could be legally disposed of.
“There is a formal public notification period that is required to allow vehicles to be claimed.”
Postings said if the vehicle remained unclaimed it would be sold and the proceeds used to cover the costs of removal.
He said crews patrolled the state highways and would deal with hazards they found.
The Hawke’s Bay Regional Council’s policy is to collect an abandoned vehicle if it is near a waterway.
If a complaint is made about a vehicle on urban roads council officers assess whether it is a safety risk. Vehicle owners requested to remove cars have seven days to do so.
If it is not moved in that time council crews will tow it and the costs involved are recouped from the owner.
Some removals can clearly be more challenging that others — like a roadside wreck near Bay View over the weekend.
It was part of a serious crash was sitting on a mound of rock and soil debris — its wheels now missing.
Another spotted in heavy roadside shrubbery after a crash there last weekend, does not appear so challenging.