Popular Silver Lake shortcut sees increased traffic, leading to crashes, residents say

SILVER LAKE, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A narrow street in Silver Lake has become a popular shortcut for commuters thanks to GPS apps, but people who live there say the increased traffic is leading to crashes.

Earl street appears to be a quiet narrow road, but the neighbors certainly aren't being quiet.

"Paraphrasing Howard Beale, 'We are mad as hell and we are not going to stand for it,'" said resident Lloyd Harmol.

They say during rush hour, there's very little rushing and a whole of lot of cursing.

"People get out of their cars and yell at each other, and it's getting to the stage where there's obscenities at night," said resident Brian Wakil.

Residents say GPS apps are sending cars through there to cut through traffic, and there are problems.

They say on March 30, a huge tour bus came through there and hit several vehicles. They say when they asked the driver, they were told the Waze app directed him onto the street.

"When I heard the bus backing up again, I thought they were going to get my car a second time, and when I came back out, I noticed that they had hit four other cars and removed the bumper off of another one," said resident Morgan Blair. "I personally have been hit on one car 31 times."

Anne Marie Johnson from the neighborhood council says this is an issue in many streets across the state.

"Google and Waze has taken over the world and our daily lives, and our quality of life is negatively impacted purely for profit," said Johnson.

Waze sent Eyewitness News this statement: "Waze is not designed for charter buses or oversized trucks. We do everything we can to route drivers safely but ultimately, this is not a use case we plan for or advise. It is up to drivers to take into account their local driving laws, road signs and vehicle restrictions."

Residents say they've been talking to the Los Angeles City Council but say in the end, there may have to be a lawsuit to try to solve the problem.

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