Downtown Art Walk Death Spurs Changes For Food Trucks & Vendors

This story comes courtesy of The City Maven.

By Alice M. Walton

As mentioned in this morning’s post, food trucks will no longer line the streets or fill the parking lots of downtown during the monthly Art Walk event per the recommendation of the Downtown Art Walk Task Force.

This means the Fire Department and Los Angeles County Department of Health will no longer issue permits to vendors from Third Street to Seventh Street, between Spring and Main. The next Art Walk, which typically attracts 30,000 people, is scheduled for tomorrow evening.

Officials with Street Services will be on hand to clear sidewalks of unpermitted vendors, carts and stereo equipment. Drivers will also be prohibited from turning onto Third and Fourth streets from northbound Main and southbound Spring.

“Art Walk is an organic event that has grown in attendance and popularity alongside the revitalization of our urban downtown. Our number one priority is to support public safety efforts and ensure that Art Walk continues as a sustainable, positive event for the entire Los Angeles community,” Councilwoman Jan Perry said in a statement.

The task force was created in response to the death of a 2-month-old who was killed during last month’s Art Walk when a driver, who was attempting to parallel park, jumped the curb and crashed into a group of pedestrians.

(For those of you who are interested, the food truck ban has prompted a spirited discussion over on the Art Walk’s Facebook page.)