Governor David Ige signs a bill into law to rid public roads of abandoned vehicles.
HB 2442, (Act 47), requires counties to take into custody any abandoned vehicle on a public roadway within 10 business days.
This new law removes the requirement that abandoned vehicles be sold at public auction, which in turn allows the vehicles to be disposed of more efficiently. The law also makes it easier to classify vehicles as “derelict” instead of abandoned, which eliminates the storage requirement and frees up space at tow yards. Ultimately, the new law will help keep public streets safe and clear.
“I believe that the requirement for counties to remove these vehicles within 10 business days of being marked abandoned, and giving the county rule-making power, will really allow counties to adapt to the increase in vehicles that we are seeing being dumped in our streets while also giving the service that our communities are demanding and deserving,” said Representative Cedric Gates, (D) Waianae.
“It unties our hands from several restrictions that couldn’t allow us to move forward, and of course space is the biggest issue to resolve this problem,” said Sheri Kajiwara, Department of Customer Services director. “We have several lots that we are putting in motion, and actually once those lots are available we can start moving m ore of those cars.”
Kajiwara said the city recently acquired a lot in Pearl City that it’s already moving vehicles in to. They’re also in the process of securing another lot on Sand Island.
Act 47 takes effect upon approval.
