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City Hall Committee Moves To Regulate Illegally Placed Dumpsters, PODS

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Lawmakers at City Hall were set Wednesday to talk trash.

KNX 1070's Ed Mertz reports a City Council panel will try for the fourth time in about five years to regulate illegally placed dumpsters and portable on demand storage (PODS) containers.

City Hall Revives Efforts To Regulate Illegally Placed Dumpsters, PODS

Introduced on Jan. 31 by Councilman Bernard Parks, the motion (PDF) calls for the city to step up its enforcement of the placement of dumpsters and trash containers, including a requirement that every container be equipped with appropriate reflectors or other safety markings as to avoid posing a traffic hazard.

Members of the Public Works and Gang Reduction Committee say that while the city currently regulates some aspects of dumpsters and storage containers that are placed in the public right-of-way, enforcement of those measures have proved problematic due to a lack of "necessary enforcement tools."

Critics have argued that PODS and other non-permitted bins or dumpsters on city streets can hinder the flow of traffic, block the sight-line of motorists, pedestrians and bicycles, and restrict access for emergency vehicles, particularly on narrow roads or hillside areas with high fire danger.

Such storage containers, however, require permits to be legally parked on city streets, according to the Los Angeles Bureau of Street Services, Investigation & Enforcement Division.

Several previous attempts by the city have failed to garner support, largely because each motion requested amendments to the Los Angeles Municipal Code to mitigate potential conflicts with motorists and other public safety issues, according to the motion.

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