Government moves ahead with removal of derelict vehicles

Residents will begin to see a major clean up across the island as derelict vehicles that have been marked X will be moved to the dump and destroyed.

According to the Litter Control and Prevention Act no.3 of 2019, Section 13 (1) states “Where any derelict vehicle is left in any public place in such circumstances as to cause, contribute to or tend to the defacement of the environment by reason of the presence of such derelict vehicle, the local authority may give notice to the owner or last known owner of the derelict vehicle requiring him to remove the derelict vehicle from the public place within twenty-four hours of such notice.”

The removal will begin March 30.

“The expectation is that it will be carried out by the police themselves, and the Antigua Barbuda Transport Board and we will start in St. Johns. I can’t say precisely where in St. Johns but there are too many abandoned vehicles parked in the city’s streets and make some of those streets difficult to traverse because they take up an entire lane.

“We are going to see a clean up of the city because the idea is we cannot see ourselves as a beautiful place if there are so many scars in so many sites and this also goes to unrestricted vending. We are going to restrict the vending and the leaving of palettes to try create a better look for St. Johns,” Cabinet Spokesperson Lionel Hurst explained.

In 2023, the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) conducted their own derelict vehicle collect across the island.

Discussions are also underway to address the issue of mechanics who operate their businesses on the side of the road and have several vehicles parked on roadsides hindering traffic and safety.