After a string of incidents involving intruders and alleyways in the Royal Palm neighborhood, the City of Phoenix is set to try out a program blocking public access to alleys.

Everything from bike thefts to flashers to homeless people rummaging through trash cans has been documented and now, a group of concerned citizens are trying to make the areas behind their homes less accessible and therefore safer.

The movement began with Luke Bevans, who lives in the neighborhood, and has been documenting the goings-on in his alley with cameras perched next to motion-activated lights. For three years, he has been taping the alley and the things he saw shocked him to such an extent that he became convinced that something needed to be done about it. Last year, he saw a man, who jumped over a fence to gain access to the alley, flash two underage girls.

Some of the residents of the neighborhood are skeptical that the ban will actually result in lower crime rates. Other neighborhoods in Phoenix, one critic said, have similar crime rates and don’t even have alleys. Others agree with Bevans that the alleys provide a quick getaway after committing a crime.

And if the bill to ban public access to the alleys passes, it will have a broader impact than just disallowing people from taking shortcuts through alley; Trash collection will move to the front side of the street. If the proposal passes, six gates will be installed on the six alleyways in the neighborhood. The city of Mesa recently installed a similar measure, blocking off access to nearly 80 miles worth of alleys.

A vote in the City Council on the proposal, which was brought to the council by Councilwoman Stark, is expected soon.