DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES () — With the FIFA World Cup months away, Caltrans has been spending millions of dollars to clean up trash and graffiti on local freeways, but one effort to stop street art doesn’t appear to be working.
Two weeks ago, Caltrans crews installed artificial ivy on the walls of the 101 Freeway in Downtown Los Angeles to cover up and hopefully deter graffiti. But, taggers have already left their mark.
To cover up the graffiti, Caltrans crews are installing artificial ivy on the walls. There are mixed opinions on whether or not it’s a good idea.
“I think it’s a nice idea for the city to do. It does look prettier than just the concrete walls, you know, just the freeway, just the gray walls. But at the same time, I feel like it’s kind of a waste of money because the taggers are just going to write over it anyways,” said Fabricio Reyes.
“There’s a difference between graffiti and tags, you know, we got like gang tags. I don’t like how gang tags look, but sometimes graffiti does incorporate art, and it’s a part of L.A., and it builds L.A., you know. I don’t think they should cover it,” said Kyle Jackson.
Caltrans is spending millions to clean up the stretch of the 101 with landscaping, trash pick up and art.
So why not paint over the graffiti? In a written statement to Eyewitness News, Caltrans said:
“Due to a mural and related agreements at this location and several walls along U.S. 101 in downtown Los Angeles, Caltrans is not legally allowed to paint over or remove graffiti. As a temporary measure, to protect the mural artworks, Caltrans has been installing artificial ivy, which has aesthetic benefits and acts as a graffiti deterrent and is a more environmentally friendly solution to graffiti removal. “
The 1-foot by 1-foot squares of artificial ivy can be removed and cleaned if taggers leave their mark.
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