The city of Escondido should be commended for its efforts to eliminate the shopping cart problem.

We all know that shopping carts are business equipment; therefore, isn't it the responsibility of each business to secure these carts on their property for the safety, security and well-being of the community?

I have personally been involved in this quest within the city of San Diego for more than five years. Some cart owners claim to be innocent victims of residents who are taking their carts. But it is important to point out that retailers know that their carts have been and will continue to be taken and abandoned, yet most do nothing to prevent it. This phenomenon is even built into their business plans. They purchase more carts than needed, and budget for a cart retrieval service, as they know that a certain percentage of their cart inventory will accumulate in our neighborhoods.

While there are laws to prosecute the individuals who take and abandon these carts, the cart owners usually refuse to sign official complaints. These businesses generally feel that prosecuting the offenders is not worthy of their time or that they would lose customers by doing so. Without the cart owner's willingness to prosecute, these laws are unenforceable.

It is important to note that there are a wide range of systems and procedures available to help insure the carts do not leave the business premises. Unfortunately, the vast majority of cart owners have opted to choose the cheaper route of maintaining part of their cart inventory dispersed throughout the community, paying a small fee to have these carts regularly retrieved.

Hopefully, with the effort of San Diegans Against Abandoned Shopping Carts, the city of San Diego will see this problem resolved soon.

SDAASC, formed after years of battling the shopping cart problem, has identified that carts dispersed throughout the city present the following:

- An obstruction and danger to vehicular traffic when abandoned in the street.

- An obstruction and danger to pedestrian movement when abandoned on sidewalks.

- An obstruction and danger especially to the physically challenged (and a potential liability under the Americans with Disabilities Act) when abandoned on public walkways and specifically constructed ramps to facilitate the physically challenged.

- A hazard to children who regularly play with and frequently ride in or on the abandoned carts in our parks, sidewalks, streets and canyons.

- A potential liability to the city of San Diego when abandoned on city property.

- Costly repairs when the carts crash into buildings and equipment on both public and private property.

- A hazard to the environment when abandoned in canyons, open space and wildlife habitats.

- An obstruction when abandoned in waterways and drainage systems.

- An unsafe and time-consuming delay when abandoned carts hinder quick access to fire hydrants by firefighters.

- An eyesore and community blight, resulting in reduced property values.

Based on its research, SDAASC has submitted a proposal to the city of San Diego identifying 13 key points that, if included into a cart ordinance, will result in efficiently and effectively resolving this serious problem.

I fear that the Escondido ordinance is far too weak and requires the city to take legal action against the individual business that violates the ordinance. For Escondido to enforce this ordinance will require the enforcement to be juggled along with all the other priorities in the city attorney's office. Unfortunately, shopping cart enforcement will probably end up on the back burner.

SDAASC is proposing that the city of San Diego enact an ordinance that will take very little effort on the part of the city, yet encourage business to retain their equipment on property or face even heavier financial consequences.

Mira Mesa resident Tim Allen is a member of San Diegans Against Abandoned Shopping Carts, a group whose mission is to "motivate the city of San Diego to enact a zero-tolerance ordinance designed to eliminate the serious problem of abandoned carts dispersed throughout the city."