Who is mostly likely to get a traffic ticket in Wichita, plus when & where they’re caught
Who is the most likely to get caught breaking traffic and parking laws in Wichita?
When and where are they stopped?
Here’s a look at what the most recent full year of traffic and parking ticket data shows.
Where most tickets went overall
With more than 35,000 citations issued in 2021, tickets unsurprisingly went mostly to people who drove or parked vehicles. But passengers, pedestrians and people with other modes of transportation, including scooters, got them, too. Driving over the speed limit was the most common violation, with more than 17,000 citations handed out. Parking violations at meters on city lots and on streets also ranked high, more than 4,500 citations issued.
Men vs. women
Men received more tickets than women, 47.2% (16,713 citations) to 34.2% (12,124 citations), respectively. The gender of the violator wasn’t listed or was unknown in more than 6,500 instances, or about 18.6% of cases.
Tickets by racial group
Of all parking and traffic tickets issued, nearly two-thirds, or 62.6% (22,153), of people cited were white; 14.7% (5,202) were Black; 2.2% (777) were Asian or Pacific Islander; and less than a half percent (129) were American Indian or native Alaskan. Race wasn’t listed or was unknown in around a fifth of cases (7,148). Ethnicity information was not included in the data.
The racial makeup of the city of Wichita overall is 72.6% white, 10.3% Black, 4.9% Asian and around 1% American Indian or of another native heritage, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Most-cited age groups
People in their twenties got about 26% (9,274) of the tickets. Thirty-somethings were next, with more than 17% (6,160) of total tickets. People between the ages of 60 and 99 were the least likely to receive citations, about 7.7% (2,712 tickets). An age wasn’t provided or was clearly inaccurate in more than 6,600 instances, or about 18.8% of cases.
Most-ticketed area
Downtown. The 67202 zip code, which generally includes Kellogg to Central from east of the Arkansas River to Washington. Wichita police and other city employees wrote 5,821 moving, non-moving and parking citations there.
You’re mostly likely to get a ticket on . . .
Thursday, with more than 7,700 tickets written last year. Wednesdays came in second with more than 7,600 tickets written overall. People were least likely to get cited for violations on weekends. Police issued fewer than 2,800 tickets on Saturdays last year and just over 1,600 on Sundays.
Time you’re most likely to get a ticket
Mid-afternoon, between 2 and 4 p.m. Last year, police wrote more than 3,000 citations overall during each of those hours. Drivers received the fewest tickets between 8 and 11 a.m., less than one a day per hour on average.
Most-ticketed locations in town:
- 455 N. Main St., the address of Wichita City Hall — 2,323 citations, nearly all of which were parking meter violations on the city’s lot
- 100 E. Elm St., a downtown metered parking lot — 586 citations, nearly all of which were street parking meter violations
- 8000 W. 21st St., a stretch of road where several churches sit — 579 citations, nearly all for speeding
- 900 W. 13th St., an area with homes and small businesses in the North Riverside Neighborhood — 360 citations, nearly all for speeding
- 12th St. and North Hillside, an intersection near the northwest corner of Maple Grove Cemetery — 355 citations, mostly for speeding
- 2600 S. I-135 Highway, near the 8th and 9th street exits— 311 citations, most issued for speeding
- 200 N. Market, downtown around First Street — 304 citations, all tied to parking but most for street meter violations
- 6200 W. Central, around the MS Mitch Mitchell Floodway, known locally as “The Big Ditch” — 291 citations, nearly all for speeding
- 600 N. Greenwich by Holy Cross Lutheran Church and School, near East Central — 254 citations, mostly for speeding
- 4500 E. 13th St., near the northeast corner of MacDonald Park and Golf Course — 240 citations, mostly for speeding
Source: Wichita Municipal Court, 2021 traffic and parking ticket cases
This story was originally published December 1, 2022 at 5:25 AM.
