A suspected abandoned car on Te Ngae Rd in the Rotorua district. Photo / Andrew Warner
A suspected abandoned car on Te Ngae Rd in the Rotorua district. Photo / Andrew Warner
A concerning rise in the number of abandoned vehicles in the Rotorua district is frustrating local residents and authorities that end up removing them.
More than 207 abandoned vehicles on local roads and council-owned reserves were reported to the Rotorua Lakes Council last year, compared to 149 in 2021.
Thecouncil reported to Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency another 19 abandoned on state highways in Rotorua in 2022, up from 12 in 2021.
A council spokesperson said it was only responsible for suspected abandoned vehicles on local roads and council reserves.
“A council officer will check a vehicle within one-and-a-half working days of receiving the information and will start the procedure required under the Local Government Act 1974.
“If the owner can be found they pay for its removal or are subsequently billed for the cost of the removal, but council bears the cost if the owner cannot be found which would be if, for instance, the vehicle has been stripped of number plates and serial numbers, or is burnt-out.”
The council confirmed 32 abandoned vehicles were removed from roadsides in the district in the past two years at a total cost of $7172.50
“An abandoned vehicle can be a hazard to other road users and also can create pollution problems by losing vehicle fluids into the stormwater system.”
Vehicle owners were responsible for ensuring their vehicles were legally roadworthy and if they became inoperable, were also responsible for removing and disposing of them.
“Anyone who abandons a vehicle in a public place may be prosecuted for breaching legislation and council bylaws. The owner of an unwarranted and/or unregistered abandoned vehicle in a public place may receive a fine.”
Local resident Dianne Estcourt, the Rotorua District Residents and Ratepayers Inc. membership secretary, said she had seen about four suspected abandoned cars in the Te Ngae Rd area in the past month, two of which were removed within a few days.
However, Estcourt said there had also been a white Toyota car parked on Te Ngae Rd near the McDonald’s building, close to the intersection with Robinson Ave, which appeared to have broken down.
She said it was abandoned for at least two weeks before being removed last week, minus its number plates.
Estcourt said Te Ngae Rd was a “very busy” main road for people travelling into and out of central Rotorua and this car was “right there” when motorists came out of Robinson Ave and turned towards the city.
“My expectation is that whether it’s a vehicle that has genuinely broken down, been in a crash or potentially abandoned, it should be removed straight away if there any potential safety risks to other road users.”
A suspected abandoned vehicle parked off road on the busy Te Ngae Rd thoroughfare. Photo / Andrew Warner
Estcourt said the fourth vehicle on Te Ngae Rd parked near a boundary fenceline to the Rotorua racecourse had been there for some time, and although it was not impeding traffic, she was concerned about the possible distraction factor for drivers.
Rotorua Racing Club chief executive Damien Radesic said he believed the vehicle had been involved in a crash and he was concerned about the time it was taking to remove it.
”I think there has definitely been an increase in the number of abandoned cars in the district, and every time I travel to Hamilton I see four or five vehicles up in the Mamaku range burned out.”
Relieving Rotorua road policing manager Inspector Stu Nightingale said he shared residents’ concerns, and no one wanted to see the removal and disposal costs for these vehicles having to come out of the “taxpayers’ purse”.
Nightingale said the police had no responsibility to remove vehicles other than those involved in a serious crash or stolen and requiring further forensic examination.
Removing other crashed and suspected abandoned vehicles was the responsibility of the last registered owner or maybe their insurance company, but it could take a bit of time to identify those parties if the number plates have been removed.
Nightingale said if the vehicle still had a current registration then Rotorua Lakes Council had to give the owner sufficient time to remove it.
Waka Kotahi was responsible for the removal of abandoned vehicles along state highways.
Rob Campbell, the regional manager of maintenance and operations at Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency. Photo / Mead Norton
The agency’s regional manager of maintenance and operations Rob Campbell said 29 abandoned vehicles had been removed from highways in the eastern Bay of Plenty, including Rotorua, in 2022, up from 23 in 2021, and two or three others were being monitored.
“Abandoned cars are both a risk to the safety of other road users and the environment. Waka Kotahi appeals to owners to take responsibility for the removal and disposal of their vehicles. There is considerable cost to the public once a vehicle has been abandoned, which diverts resources away from the important job of maintaining our roads and highways.”
Campbell said once its road maintenance contractors became aware of a possible abandoned vehicle they contacted Waka Kotahi to find out who was the registered owners and also notified the police,
“They will remove the vehicle within two to three weeks from the first attempt to inform the owner.”
He said if the owner could not be identified, the vehicle would be towed to a secured storage facility and the cost of removal/disposal was covered under the lump sum contract Waka Kotahi had with its contractors.
The contractor then will try to recoup the costs from the registered owner.
Insurance Council of NZ spokesman Christian Judge said if an insured vehicle was stolen and then abandoned, the insurers were likely to cover the vehicle recovery costs, but these would not be covered if a car was insured and deliberately abandoned by the owner.
