Faro Council has at least been making an effort to rid its streets of abandoned vehicles with 175 towed away since late 2016.
A street-to-street survey identified 458 vehicles that had been abandoned but Council staff have been hampered in taking them all, as those that have been seized in lieu of debt gain a special status preventing their legal removal.
The Council has the help of the Institute of Registries and Notaries so it can identify the registered owners of the vehicles in question.
As a result of the purge, 235 vehicles were removed voluntarily by the respective owners after a removal notice was issued, and 175 vehicles were removed from public streets by the Council. A total of 410 vehicles have been sorted out one way of another.
The Council stated that, in spite of its efforts, the overwhelming majority of vehicles that remain improperly or abusively parked on the public highway, are subject to seizure orders by creditors, which “impairs the performance of municipal services.”
"The public space belongs to all, not only a few, and therefore the Council appeals to the owners of abandoned or illegally parked vehicles in public areas to regularise the situation or have the car scrapped, without further damage to the local authority and the community," said Faro Mayor, Rogério Bacalhau.
