The Wichita Police Department on Tuesday will launch a city-wide effort to remove cars left on the street, which they say are a safety hazard for drivers and pedestrians.
Vehicles parked on the street for 48 hours, inoperable cars and trucks, stored trailers and vehicles without current tags will be targeted in the sweep. WPD officers will mark cars with bright green impound tags on Tuesday; owners then have until Thursday to move their cars or they’ll be towed.
Sgt. Nikki Woodrow said at the daily news briefing that they’ve seen more inoperable vehicles left on streets, especially stored trailers.
“It’s kind of a ‘fight blight’ kind of project that we’re doing," she said. "You know, there has been an increase in vehicles broken down. As you drive around, you see them without wheels and tires, and they cause traffic hazards. You can’t see around them.”
Wichita’s municipal code authorizes police to remove nuisance vehicles under certain circumstances, but Woodrow says this is the first city-wide effort to enforce the code.
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