The Office of The Ombudsman on Thursday said tougher penalties are needed to prevent owners from the improper disposal of their unwanted vehicles.

Currently, if the owners do not renew vehicle registration that has expired, they will no longer be considered as such and will not face any liability if their abandoned vehicle occupies or obstructs public roads.

Announcing the results of a direct investigation, Ombudsman Winnie Chiu noted that more than 1,600 abandoned vehicles have been removed since 2021, but the government has yet to address the crux of the problem.

"In the past, the Transport Department simply considers abandoned vehicles occupying public roads and public parking spaces as a land administration problem, and merely focused on removing the vehicles," she said.

"Vehicles owners could therefore simply abandon their vehicles at the roadside with little cost. The problem will not improve if this situation remains unchanged."

Chiu said while the government has already put forward proposals for legislative amendments, tougher punishment is needed to provide enough of a deterrent effect.

"In terms of the legislative amendments, we hope that the Transport Department will work on its contents, so that the vehicle owners will be criminally liable if they do not dispose of the registered vehicles in a proper manner. And also there's a deterrent effect in terms of a fine or the recovery of costs if the removal is conducted by the government," she said.

She urged the Transport Department to proactively remind vehicle owners to renew their registration and strengthen cooperation with the Lands Department in tracing the identity of possible offenders.