Douglas Dumpers
Costing ratepayers dearly
The Douglas Shire is fast becoming a dumping ground for boats, cars and caravans and the Council are fed up.
The inlet has long been a graveyard for boats of every shape and size and with a side issue of pollution in our waterways, that continues to be a clear and present danger. Meanwhile, back on terra firma, cars and caravans are being left abandoned on Council land in Port Douglas. In some cases, Council land is simply being used as a parking lot or storage area.
Stickers are being used up at a rate of knots as the Douglas Shire Council try to clear the roads and their own land of these large unwanted items. A caravan parked on Council land in Nautilus Street at Craiglie, was slowly becoming a local landmark until the owner returned home from holidays and solved the situation. When approached by Newsport he brushed it all off saying that it had been sold and someone was coming to pick it up. But not before Council had to waste time trying to have it removed.
A car on the side of the main road into Port Douglas appeared to have been placed there to sell, but when Newsport rang the phone number on the advertisement stuck on its window, a recorded voice said the line was not in service. Very strange.
Mayor Michael Kerr told Newsport “This sort of behaviour is costing ratepayers a lot of money because Council has to send someone out to put a sticker on these vehicles and then there’s the cost of towing to our depot at Killaloe, as well as valuable time spent on this unnecessary activity by our already hardworking staff” he said.
Dangerous location
The latest vehicle to be sticker licked is on the Captain Cook Highway near Yule Point. It’s been involved in a crash and been a traffic hazard there for around three weeks. The owner appears to have no interest in having it towed so it sits there like a sore thumb waiting for someone, anyone, to act. There is nothing on the vehicle to warn unsuspecting motorists, particularly at night, of its existence so a serious safety issue exists. While Council has put a sticker on this vehicle, it was only to alert Department of Transport and Main Roads (DTMR), of its existence.
A spokesperson for the Douglas Shire Council told Newsport “The vehicle located on the Captain Cook Highway at Yule Point is located on State-controlled land. Council officers placed a sticker on the vehicle as part of its notification process to the State Department and have requested its removal by DTMR”.
Douglas dumped vehicles
The rules, according to Council are, “When a vehicle is abandoned on Council land, officers place a sticker on the vehicle to advise the owner that they have 48 hours to remove the vehicle or contact Council. After that time Council can tow the vehicle to Killaloe Transfer Station where they are stored for three months. Once three months have passed, Council will either recycle the vehicle or sell it via an auction”.
Council estimates illegal dumping, including dealing with abandoned vehicles, costs ratepayers more than $300,000 per year.