Impounded cars on the auction block By Leonardo Blair,
Staff Reporter
JUST UNDER half of the 200 vehicles seized over the past three years for traffic violations by the Police and Transport Authority (TA) inspectors, and left unclaimed by their owners are to be auctioned next week. The delinquent owners have up to next week Sunday to retrieve the vehicles from the Authority's pounds at Lyndhurst Road, St. Andrew and Lakes Pen, St. Catherine. According to the TA's managing director Commander John McFarlane, about 200 vehicles have been in the pounds beyond the maximum storage time of six months allowed under the law. Ninety of the unclaimed cars, some of which have been at the pound for almost three years, were advertised in yesterday's Gleaner along with the names of their owners. Delinquent owners were advised to contact the Transport Authority within the next seven days if "they desire to keep their vehicle." The public auction is set for July 9. Commander McFarlane explained that the names of the delinquent car owners published in The Gleaner represent those who have already been contacted several times by TA officials to retrieve their vehicles and have not yet done so. He pointed out that attempts were being made to contact the owners of the remaining vehicles. When The Gleaner visited the Lyndhurst Road pound yesterday several persons whose cars were seized by the authorities were on hand to retrieve their vehicles. One illegal bus operator, said he had to pay $4,500 to the wrecker company which towed away his vehicle in addition to the fines and storage fees charged by the Authority ($500 for the first day of storage and $150 for each additional day). He claims that on the day his bus was hauled away by the police, the lawmen watched him from a distance and "as mi stop likkle bit so dem call wrecker." He along with other vehicle owners also lamented the long time they had to wait at the pound to get their vehicles even after the relevant fines were paid.
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