Sweeping Beauty is Keeping Hollywood Rolling!

Less than a year after introducing Sweeping Beauty, Los Angeles' first pedal-powered electric bike lane sweeper, our Clean Ride Crew program is delivering measurable results and demonstrating how routine bike lane maintenance can transform streets into safer, cleaner, and more inviting spaces for people to bike.

What started as a partnership between Streets Are For Everyone and Council District 13 to keep the protected bike lane on Hollywood Boulevard clean has grown into a successful model for maintaining bikeways and improving safety for everyone who uses them.

Twice each month, SAFE's Clean Ride Crew Coordinator, Kayla Hankins, drags Sweeping Beauty along the 4.2-mile protected bike lane route, removing debris, clearing hazards, and reporting maintenance concerns to keep cyclists protected and welcomed.

Kayla was brought on board to help coordinate SAFE’s bike lane clean-up efforts, including the Hollywood Blvd. Sweeps in addition to the monthly Clean Ride Crew events that are held at various locations around LA County. Outside her work at SAFE, she competes as a track sprint cyclist for Team USA. She trains full-time with the US National Sprint Team at their home base in Carson, CA, making her deeply invested in giving back to the cycling communities of LA.

Kayla connecting Sweeping Beauty to the e-bike: Prince Clean-A-Lot.

Over the past nine months, the impact has been substantial.

By the Numbers (November 2025 – July 2026)

• 14 bike lane clean-up operations completed

• 50 hours dedicated to sweeping and maintenance

• 58.8 miles of protected bike lanes restored

• 59 bags of trash and debris removed

• 1,915 pounds of trash cleared from the bike lane

These numbers represent far more than cleaner streets. Every bag of trash removed means fewer hazards for people biking, walking, running, or using mobility devices. Glass, gravel, nails, branches, and other debris can force cyclists into vehicle traffic or cause crashes. Regular maintenance helps ensure the bike lane remains a safe and reliable transportation option.

Beyond sweeping, the Clean Ride Crew also monitors conditions along the corridor, reporting damaged bollards, drainage issues, potholes, overgrown vegetation, and other maintenance concerns so they can be addressed before they become safety hazards.

This is an example of a damaged bollard that was reported for leaning into the lane and creating a potential safety hazard for cyclists. 

Clean Ride Crew was recently featured in the California Volunteers Climate Team’s Make Your Climate Action Count report, highlighting community-driven efforts that contribute to a more sustainable California. Through regular bike lane cleanups and waste removal efforts, Clean Ride Crew helped contribute to the report’s 48,057 “Reduce Waste” climate actions, demonstrating how maintaining cleaner, safer streets can also support California’s broader environmental goals.

Perhaps the greatest success of the program has been demonstrating that bike lane maintenance doesn't require large, expensive equipment. Sweeping Beauty allows SAFE to clean two to three times as many bike lanes as traditional volunteer cleanups while using a low-cost, pedal-powered system that is environmentally friendly and highly effective.

Hollywood Boulevard has become an example of what's possible when communities invest not only in building protected bike lanes, but also in maintaining them. Clean infrastructure encourages more people to ride, supports local businesses, improves the appearance of neighborhoods, and helps ensure that public investments continue to deliver value for years to come.

As SAFE continues expanding the Clean Ride Crew program throughout Los Angeles County, Sweeping Beauty remains a reminder that small, consistent efforts can have a lasting impact. Every mile swept and every pound of debris removed helps create safer, cleaner streets where more people feel comfortable choosing active transportation.

Thank you to everyone who has supported the Clean Ride Crew, especially DJ and Karl, who have volunteered at our monthly cleanups and continue to advocate for safer, cleaner bike infrastructure across Los Angeles. Together, we're proving that maintaining bike lanes is just as important as building them.