Harthy Okaz/ Saudi Gazette JEDDAH – A light illuminates from inside an abandoned vehicle that lies in a narrow alley in one of the city's districts. It's hard to tell what is going on inside but one thing is for sure: Residents are fed up of the increasing number of abandoned cars that clog the city's roads. The problem has worsened over the past two years after the flash floods of 2009 and 2011 scattered hundreds of cars all over the city, many of which have never been claimed by their owners or impounded by authorities. A quick tour of the Bani Malik, Quwaiza and Al-Jamea districts reveals the extent of the problem and residents there say not only are the vehicles an eyesore but they pose a fire threat as leaves and debris that gather underneath the cars can easily catch on fire. There has also been at least one case of an abandoned car being used to stash a shipment of qat. Several committees have been assigned to address the issue but no steps have been taken by the relevant authorities to remove the vehicles from streets. “The parking lots in this district have gradually turned into a place to get rid of damaged cars that were swept away by the Jeddah floods. Car rental and taxi companies have also taken advantage of the situation and dumped their old vehicles here. The entire district is full of abandoned taxis, tankers and damaged vehicles,” said Maher Al-Mutairi, a resident of Bani Malik. “When I return from work, I find it difficult to find a parking space near my house and I'm embarrassed when relatives visit and see so many abandoned vehicles everywhere. A lot of the residents in the area have to park their cars hundreds of meters away from their houses. We've filed complaints several times with authorities and the police but no has done anything and we continue to suffer,” Al-Mutairi added. Muhammed Ziabi, a resident of Al-Jamea district, said finding an empty parking space in the area has become impossible and worried that criminals might remove the license plates of abandoned cars to commit crimes. “Scenes of damaged vehicles have become a common sight as many of the district's streets have become a place to drop remains of scrap. Finding a parking space is like finding a needle in a haystack,” said Ziabi. “The strange thing is that police patrols regularly pass through the area but they have not done anything to improve the situation. Don't they realize that this is a security threat as criminals could remove an abandoned car's license plates to commit a crime?” Muhammed Al-Qraosh, a resident of South Jeddah, said districts that are adjacent to car workshops have seen a drastic increase in the number of abandoned cars. According to Al-Qraosh, when owners were compensated for the damage caused to their cars, they stripped them of valuable spare parts and left the rest for authorities to remove. “After car owners received their compensation checks, the authorities should have forced them to turn over their cars and license plates. This would have insured that the cars aren't stripped and used for criminal purposes or left on the streets,” said Al-Qraosh. Abdullah Hamid Al-Safri, chief of the stripping and scrap iron association in Jeddah, said junkyards cannot accept any vehicles unless they come accompanied with paperwork that shows they have been decommissioned. “Regulations stipulate that junkyards cannot accept a car unless its license plates have been cancelled by the traffic department and there are no claims against it. And no vehicle can be crushed unless approval has been attained from the relevant authorities,” said Al-Qraosh. Mesfer Al-Juaid, Jeddah Police spokesman, urged residents to report abandoned vehicles. “No security reports have been recorded regarding these damaged vehicles. The police runs a background check to see whether a damaged vehicle has any pending criminal or traffic violations and if it remains unclaimed for 15 days, a towing company is tasked with taking it to a junkyard and the license plates are delivered to the traffic department.” __
