Many retail establishments provide shopping carts for the convenience of customers
while shopping on the premises of such businesses. However, shopping carts removed
from the premises of such businesses and left abandoned on public or private property
throughout the city constitute a public nuisance and a potential hazard to the health
and safety of the public. The proliferation of lost, stolen or abandoned shopping
carts on public and private property causes blighting conditions in the community,
results in the obstruction of free access to public and private sidewalks, streets,
parking lots and other ways, interferes with pedestrian and vehicular traffic on public
and private streets and impedes emergency services. For the aforesaid reasons, such
lost, stolen or abandoned shopping carts are declared to be a public nuisance which
shall be subject to abatement in the manner set forth in this article or in any other
manner provided by law.
