Hollywood bike lane remains blocked by homeless encampment despite removal efforts
HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Los Angeles's growing system of bike lanes is designed to make the roads safer for bicyclists, but a Hollywood homeless encampment is causing some bike lane users to dart into traffic.
The multi-tent camp near the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Wilton Place spans most of the sidewalk there and has created a growing pile of trash that blocks a section of the bike lane.
"The trash in the lane you have to zig-zag in and out of traffic, and so what's the point of having the bike lane?" said Keith Johnson, a longtime bicyclist in Hollywood. "Debris that's left in the bike lane, it kind of makes it unusable."
The 70-year-old Johnson is frustrated by the encampment and the obstacle created by its trash. People who are unable to pass by on the sidewalk often walk through the bike lane, creating a hazard for both them and bikers zipping by.
"Pedestrians have to use the bike lane to get around the encampment," he said. "Then bikers have to watch out for people stepping out into the street."
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The Hollywood encampment sits in Los Angeles City Council Member Hugo Soto Martinez's district. His office said the camp has been there for more than a year and that the city removes it's trash every week, then completely scrubs it down every other week.
"The city comes in with the dump trucks, they haul it all off, and then they let them come back. They'll hand out new tents," Johnson told Eyewitness News.
Soto-Martinez's office admits they don't have the spots to re-house all the people from that camp right now, but say they have managed to get the population under ten with more homes due to become available soon.
