DTLA Art Walk Task Force Ramps Up Safety Measures For Tomorrow's Event

Photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/46735039@N06/4519830271/in/photostream/ via the LAist Featured Photos pool

DTLA's July Art Walk experienced the tragic death of an infant boy, spurring protests and petitions demanding the city shut down traffic during the Art Walk hours. While the city has not complied with street closures, City Councilmembers José Huizar and Jan Perry are unveiling new policies to ensure safety during the monthly event.

Starting this month, the City Fire Department and County Health Department will no longer issue any permits for vending between 3rd and 7th street and Spring and Main, areas identified to be overly congested by art walk activities. Both agencies will work with interested vendors to expedite permits for tomorrow’s art walk in areas outside this zone, with the hopes of supporting the growth of the event outside the four-block area.

An extensive police presence at the Art Walk, which draws an average of 30k people, will continue to monitor and control traffic by engaging in the following tactics.

*Continue turn restrictions on Main for northbound traffic at 3rd St. and 4th St.
*Continue turn restrictions on Spring from southbound traffic at 4th St. and 6th St.
*Continue assisting in maintaining pedestrian traffic flow on sidewalks.

Additionally:

*Street Services inspectors will attend to keep sidewalks clear of unpermitted items such as DJ equipment, craft vendors, carts, etc.
*Fire Inspectors and LADBS will be out to monitor permitted food/craft lots and shut down unpermitted lots.

The new policies are a result of the City-agency Task Force formed by Councilmembers Huizar and Perry to evaluate traffic, crowd control and other safety measures and develop both short and long-term solutions. Future, long-term strategies are in the works.

“Art Walk is a fantastic event that draws thousands downtown and we want to ensure that it remains active and viable,” said José Huizar, Councilmember for the 14th District. “We’re hopeful that the safety changes we’re implementing for tomorrow’s Art Walk will allow us to reduce large crowds drawn to non-art related activities.”

Contact the author of this article or email tips@laist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Lauren Lloyd in News on August 10, 2011 1:30 PM

Comments [rss]

Chris Lott

This is ludicrous. The most crowded parts of the Art Walk are nowhere *near* where the food trucks and vendors set up. The largest crowds always congregate in front of restaurants, the more popular galleries, and at the corners while waiting to cross the street.

I fail to see how relocating the food trucks, which are usually parked in lots, is going to make pedestrians any safer. They should close off the streets entirely to vehicle traffic if they want to improve safety for the event.

Kim Cooper

Whoever controls the Downtown Art Walk Facebook page and Twitter account has just posted a wildly irresponsible plea that people not engage in "civil disobedience" at the event or the Art Walk may be "SHUT DOWN."

http://www.facebook.com/downto...

Commenters are urging them to delete this incendiary message, as it is using the official channel of the Art Walk to spread a dangerous, otherwise fringe idea to more than 37,000 people on Facebook, and another 7,700 people on Twitter.

The decision to move the food trucks, vendors, musicians, pop-up galleries and all portable content away from the center of Art Walk on less than two days notice is going to be confusing and unpopular with many attendees. Now Art Walk itself could be seen as laying the groundwork for encouraging a flash point, which can then be used as an excuse for the managing non-profit board to pack up tents and give up on this whole mis-managed mess.

A brief smidgen of sick humor: this was the Downtown Art Walk's Tweet #666.

The community deserved, and deserves, so much better. So much potential. Such a waste.