The City of Riverside is updating its ordinances to address the growing problem of street racing in the Kansas City metro area.
At the Tuesday, May 20 meeting of the Board of Aldermen, the city addressed an increase in reckless and dangerous vehicular conduct on public streets, including street racing, burnouts, wheelies and sideshows.
Chief of Police Chris Skinrood reported the new ordinance was in line with changes the City of Kansas City had recently made to address such activities.
“I’m really happy the City of Kansas City is cracking down on this,” said Mayor Kathy Rose. “We have to start making somebody an example for this bad behavior.”
Skinrood said he had recently spoken to Kansas City Chief of Police Stacey Graves and she believed the changes would begin to make an impact in the street racing scene over the next month.
The new law prohibits any motor vehicle or motorcycle to keep all wheels in contact with the ground at all times. The law covers any public street, highway, alley, parking lot, or driveway, or on any other premises that are generally frequented by the public at large It contains exceptions for parades.
The other ordinance amendment addresses racing and burnouts, “no person shall drive or otherwise engage in, aid or abet any vehicle on a street or highway in any drag race or speed competition or exhibition of speed or acceleration, sideshow, or burnout. The term ‘sideshow’ shall be defined for this chapter as an unsanctioned demonstration of automotive stunts which obstructs the orderly flow of traffic. The term ‘burnout’ shall be defined for this chapter as keeping a vehicle stationary and spinning its wheels and causing the vehicle’s tires to heat up and smoke.”