Abu Dhabi: The Abu Dhabi City Municipality towed away 66 vehicles and issued 757 warnings regarding various types of vehicles that were abandoned in Musaffah. The actions were part of a campaign targeting abandoned vehicles in that area.
During the campaign, owners of 100 vehicles responded to warnings from the municipality by removing their cars, and the municipality only towed away vehicles that had exhausted the legal grace period of warning.
In a statement on Saturday, the municipality said it is combating practices that deface the appearance of the city, and is following Law No 2 for 2012 on maintaining the public appearance, health, and tranquillity of Abu Dhabi emirate.
According to the law, vehicle owners in violation are given a notice period of 14 days, after which an inspector will have the vehicles towed away. The law is applicable to all vehicles including trailers and boats, which are all subject to removal to the vehicles impounding area in Al Wathba.
Additionally, a fine of Dh3,000 is imposed, and once the offender reports to the municipality, a settlement is offered, including the payment of 50 per cent of the fine. Should the offence recur, the fine will be doubled, and daily impounding fees will be applied.
The campaign is still ongoing and will cover other sectors in Musaffah to eradicate what the municipality called a “phenomenon of leaving vehicles, machinery, and other plants unattended”.
The municipality said it was keen on educating residents on the importance of combating this uncivilised practice, and urged them to comply with the rules. It will follow up on notices served on abandoned vehicles in order to offer owners a grace period. In case the offending vehicle remains unattended, it will be towed away to the impounding area to complete the procedures in place.
