From the comments section, Streetsblogger M reported yesterday that in their rush to get footage of traffic KNBC, with an assist from the CHP, blocked the sidewalk forcing pedestrians onto an unsafe piece of LA roadways.  It’s great that California’s hands free requirement went into effect yesterday, but couldn’t we think of a better way to celebrate than endangering walkers?

 M reports:

This morning I was kinda amused, but also annoyed because I came across
channel 4 doing a news story on the hands-free law in the middle of the
sidewalk, completely blocking pedestrian and sidewalk-bound bike
traffic going towards/away the Universal City Red Line station. I
walked around the newscaster, camera dude and CHP officer by walking
into the street (there was no way I could have walked around this trio
and remained sidewalk without walking through their taping).
Conveniently, the area where I had to walk in the street was where
people turn left coming off of the 101 freeway or they zoom over the
crest of a freeway overpass (i.e. they can’t see "downhill" well).

I
haven’t written letters to official ppl yet, but I was completely blown
away. I am glad that cars matter so much that they couldn’t think about
the fact that they were completely blocking the walkway for people
traveling to and from the Red Line station on a Tuesday morning just so
they could get a shot of cars driving on the 101 freeway in the background. I thought NBC was
supposed to be "green", yet they don’t acknowledge that some people
utilize the sidewalks to get to the train and around the city?

And I forgot the funniest part.

Can you imagine Channel 4 trying to do a news story on hands free cell
phones in the middle of the freeway during morning rush hour traffic
instead of the sidewalk?

Maybe one day.

I’m not sure, M.  I think the funniest part is they apparently didn’t use the footage they took by the station.

Image: KNBC