The streets of Oakland, California, are dotted with car carcasses, some reduced to piles of rust and others with broken windows and flat tires. By 2023, nearly 14,000 vehicles had been reported as ghosts in the city. And the situation in 2024 has worsened.
This is a major emergency. There are space problems and residents are exasperated; they complain about the presence of these carcasses that deface the urban landscape and create quite a few problems. The ghost cars are blocking entrances to homes, stores and schools and taking away valuable parking spaces. The city administration to stockpile these wrecks has even gone so far as to stack them on top of each other.
A shocking ABC 7 News Bay Area report documents the car graveyard in Oakland
The car graveyard in Oakland is literally choking the small town. This can be seen thanks to a report by ABC 7 News Bay Area, which documented the severity of the problem-a disturbing situation. Within just 30 minutes, as many as nearly 50 abandoned cars were spotted in different parts of the city. Moreover, many of these, were vandalized or even stolen!
But what is the response of the authorities? Unfortunately, it is fragmented and often inadequate. In fact, the police department intervenes only if a vehicle obstructs access to a dwelling. For all other cases, responsibility falls to the Oakland Department of Transportation, with removal times that can be lengthy. So, in this case, the city ends up paying nearly $1 million a year for storage costs, with a lot housing more than 2,000 carcasses. And what environmental impact do these carcasses have?
Fortunately, there seem to be glimmers of light. The city council has approved a $5 million plan to combat the ghost car problem, which includes hiring more removal personnel, using temporary storage lots, and working with the California Department of Transportation to take advantage of their parking lots. In addition, the city is recruiting 15 more parking enforcement personnel who will be deployed on the ground. What other solutions could be proposed to the problem?
The fight against ghost cars is a major challenge for Oakland. The efforts made by the authorities and the increase in dedicated resources give hope for an improvement in the situation, to restore urban decorum and greater safety to the city.