Dealing with dumped cars

With regard to a substantial increase in abandoned cars on Bangkok roads, it’s time that the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) again gets tough with irresponsible owners and ensures that those dilapidated vehicles are properly disposed of. Not only are these car wrecks an eyesore, but they also cause traffic congestion while also possibly being a safety hazard. An untold number of city residents have lodged complaints about the issue with the BMA over the past years.

The city council recently urged the BMA to speed up solutions to the problem and to put in place tougher measures against those irresponsible car owners.

In response to city residents’ complaints, city officials this week cleared quite a few wrecks on main roads in two districts, namely Thon Buri and Laksi.

Yet, there are many more old vehicles on soi roads, causing inconvenience to road users and nearby residents. Apart from traffic problems, these dilapidated vehicles, especially those dumped on unused land, can also be home to dangerous reptiles.

Indeed, the BMA has tried to wage a war of sorts on abandoned cars since the time of the then governor Pol Gen Aswin Kwanmuang, who enacted relevant laws that offered bounties to informants who got half of the fines paid by the careless car owners. The tough law enforcement was suggested by state ombudsmen after the latter’s office was flooded with public complaints.

As a result of tougher law enforcement, the agency netted a total of 1,284 abandoned cars during 20192022. Of the number, 1,088 were removed by the owners, while 145 were disposed of by district offices. A total of 27 car owners faced fines, and 11 abandoned cars were auctioned or destroyed. Five districts where abandoned car wrecks were mostly found are Huai Khwang, Suan Luang, Phra Khanong, Don Muang, and Phra Nakhon.

But the laws and regulations need to be revamped so that city officials can speed up the process of dealing with abandoned cars with more efficiency. One major problem is the overlapping authority between different agencies, which significantly hinders the process. The BMA has the authority to remove those vehicles but lacks the mechanical equipment to do the task. On the other hand, police have the equipment but no responsibility for the issue.

It also requires ample space to keep removed vehicles under care pending the legal process, which is lengthy. Under the law, the BMA cannot immediately dispose of an abandoned vehicle but instead must try and find its owner. If the owner does not show up, the agency can only remove the vehicle from the site and keep it for six months before processing it further, ie auctioning or destroying it. At present, the BMA has holding areas for 100 vehicles in Nong Khaem and Prawet districts, which is barely enough space.

The problem will linger unless the BMA gets tough with those who irresponsibly discard their vehicles. Penalties under the code for the city’s cleanliness and orderliness are too light — a 5,000-baht fine — given the difficulties the authorities have to go through. The public health law mentions imprisonment, a onemonth jail term and/or a 2,000-baht fine, but it has not been enacted.

The BMA should consider shortening the process; the six-month wait before disposal should be cut by at least half. It should also introduce tougher penalties, such as a fine by the day instead of the overall 5,000-baht sum. Tougher measures are the only way to make irresponsible car owners behave.