SOUTH BEND — Are there things about your neighborhood you don't like? Is there too much crime, an abandoned home, or maybe someone's grass is way too long?

South Bend officials are starting a new program they hope will help better address these issues. It's called the Clean/Green City and Neighborhood Initiative.

Code Enforcement officers will now be hitting the streets on bikes. Mayor Steve Luecke says a better connection will be made with the city by having officers riding around on bikes.

And one neighbor WSBT spoke with couldn't be happier about the new plan.

Shelly Baumgartner always considered herself a country girl. But that changed when she moved to the South Taylor Street neighborhood.

"We bought our home when The Cove was being built. So we had a lot of faith in what was happening in the city," said Baumgartner.

But lately, Baumgartner has been having some doubts.

"You can see it. It looks like a jungle in the backyard," she said.

She says a yard and a vacant lot across the street from her home are not being properly maintained. And others are starting to notice.

"We go to Saint Patrick's Parish and we walk out with our friends that we see every Sunday and they're saying the same thing. A lot of them won't even park on that side of the street now because it's so overgrown. You can't get out the passenger side of the car. It's just embarrassing," said Baumgartner.

The city hopes to turn that around. Code Enforcement officers will begin inspecting neighborhoods on bikes instead of behind the wheel. The new approach is designed to give officers a better view of the area and make them more approachable.

"In a lot of cases the bike is a little bit easier for somebody if they feel they have something that they need to voice to us. They can stop us a lot quicker on a bike," said Code Enforcement officer Bill Bare.

Neighbors like Baumgartner say the new approach is just what the city needs, making it an even better place for her to call home.

"We love living downtown. We care a lot about what's happening,” said Baumgartner.

The city says the approach is also a way to be more environmentally friendly. It will also save them money on gas.

The bikes are being donated by the South Bend Police Department.