A recent survey found that 76% of Dallas residents are unsatisfied with the City’s efforts to remove inoperative motor vehicles on private property.
Additionally, 59% of residents say they are unsatisfied with the enforcement of yard parking regulations in neighborhoods.
The ETC Institute conducted the 2024 survey for the City of Dallas. The six-page questionnaire was mailed to a random sampling of 2,118 households across the City’s 14 council districts. Survey answers were collected throughout April and May.
Dallas residents have been voicing complaints over the high number of broken-down cars on public roads. In June, Dallas City Council’s Transportation & Infrastructure Committee discussed a proposed ordinance requiring vehicles to have valid registration if parked on a public street or face a fine of up to $500.
A memo sent to the committee from Majed Al-Ghafry, Dallas’ assistant city manager, states, “The Department of Transportation receives numerous complaints regarding parked motor vehicles on public streets with expired registrations, expired temporary paper plates, or no license plates.”
“Upon investigation, staff determined many of the vehicles are legally parked but are being left on the public street for repair and/or resale purposes. These activities lead to discarded vehicle parts and containers being left in and along roadways,” the memo continued. “In addition, various vehicle fluids are being released onto the street and may flow into storm drains. These vehicles also take up valuable curb space which could be used by nearby residents.”
The Dallas City Council will vote on the proposed ordinance at a future meeting.
Despite the survey-takers’ displeasure with how the City is handling junk vehicles on the streets, the City’s solid waste services received votes of approval.
Some 31% of Dallas residents voted that garbage collections in the City were “excellent,” while 47% responded “good.”
Around 29% of voters said bulk trash pick-up was “excellent.” Some 44% voted “good.”
Roughly 26% thought that yard waste pick-up was “excellent,” and 43% thought it was “good.”
Some 26% said recycling collection services were “excellent,” and 42% voted “good.”
The lowest-rating solid waste service was the disposal of household hazardous waste. Only 16% of voters marked this service “excellent,” and 34% voted it “good.”
Additionally, Dallas residents voted that garbage collections should be the City’s top priority for solid waste services, followed by recycling. Solid waste services were the most used City service in the past year, with 79% of respondents saying they used these services.
Relatedly, polling shows that residents have been unhappy with “the amount of trash, litter, or junk” found in their neighborhoods and “elsewhere in the City of Dallas,” as previously reported by The Dallas Express.