Minister: time to take action and restore beauty of Bermuda
The Government has had an “overwhelming” response from Bermudians reporting abandoned vehicles, the transport minister, Wayne Furbert, said.
At the beginning of the year, the transport ministry launched a crackdown on vehicles left dumped at sites across the island.
Owners were warned that they would be found and ticketed and given two weeks to collect the vehicles before they were towed away.
Today, Mr Furbert told MPs that since the launch of the crackdown, there had been “an overwhelming response from the public”.
“We have received many calls, e-mails and WhatsApp messages from concerned citizens reporting the locations of abandoned vehicles and urging us to take action.”
On average, the Transport Control Department had received four or five reports a day, said Mr Furbert, who added that since implementing a deliberate approach, more than 37 motor cars and 21 motorcycles and auxiliary bicycles had received tickets.
“The co-operation of the public remains very helpful,” added the minister. “In fact, members of the public recently identified a dumping ground in Pembroke where seven motorcycles had been stripped beyond recognition and abandoned.
“Those bikes have been collected and processed.”
Mr Furbert added: “I am pleased to announce that as of today’s reporting date, our team will have addressed all reported abandoned vehicles by Tuesday.”
He added: “For too long, we have seen these rusty, broken down cars, trucks and bikes littering our streets, our parks and our neighbourhoods.
“They are not only an eyesore, but also a health hazard, a fire risk and a source of pollution.
“They diminish the beauty and the dignity of our island, and they undermine our sense of pride and community.
“These abandoned cars, trucks, motorcycles and auxiliary bicycles are not just rusting hunks of metal; they are symbols of our neglect and a reminder that we have strayed from the path of responsibility and care that once defined us.”
He told MPs in the House that “when you and I were young, the words ‘Keep Bermuda Beautiful’ were not just a slogan — they were a way of life.
“Somewhere along the way, those words have faded from our daily conversations and, perhaps, from our collective consciousness.”
Mr Furbert said it was “time to rekindle that spirit”, adding: “It is time to take action and restore the beauty of Bermuda.
“We have a responsibility to ourselves, to our children and to the generations yet to come to ensure that Bermuda remains the paradise we know and love.
“Cleaning up these abandoned vehicles is not just an act of environmental stewardship, it is an act of community pride and civic duty.
“When we clean up abandoned vehicles, we are not just removing junk. We are removing obstacles. Obstacles to our vision, our potential, our prosperity.
“We are creating space. Space for beauty, space for opportunity, space for growth. We are making a statement.”
• To read the minister’s statement, see Related Media
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