A Super Entertainment Shuttle Proposal for Hollywood and West Hollywood

In West Hollywood, pre-pandemic, West Hollywood had two free entertainment shuttles which ran Friday and Saturday nights, the Pick Up Line and the Sunset Trip.  (The Pick Up line also ran on "Sunday fundays" and certain holidays.).

The advantages of a free shuttle service serving nightlife are obvious.  It reduces the amount of traffic in the area, reduces drunk driving, reduces the demands on parking, and provides more customers to businesses in these districts.  These free shuttles ran old trolley cars and played hip music and have a fun atmosphere too them.  You can see their respective routes below:

Eventually, whenever things re-open again at some point in the future, and nightlife returns again, West Hollywood can bring back entertainment shuttle service.  Unfortunately, post-pandemic, there are not funds to operate both shuttles.  The Pick Up Line will return first when things re-open again in the future.  

A proposal I have is to modify the Pick Up route, so the western turn around also serves a part of Sunset Blvd.  This will take people up the hill to part of the western Sunset Strip and provide shuttle service to places like the Roxy, the Whisky-a-Go-Go, the Rainbow Room, and the Viper Room, among others, as seen below;

For future planning, I want to propose something bigger and grander involving both Hollywood and West Hollywood.  A "Super Entertainment Shuttle" if you will.  It would serve the Rainbow District, the Sunset Trip, and currently unserved "Theatre Row", as well as taking people to clubs in Hollywood and the "B Line" ("Red Line") Subway.  I envision both a clockwise and a counterclockwise loop.  Please see below.

Two notes:  (1)  I'm currently envisioning the entertainment shuttle heading north from Sunset to Highland rather than LaBrea, because Hollywood Blvd. is often a standstill between Highland and LaBrea on Friday/Saturday nights;  (2) Also, those numbered blue dots are mileage markers, not proposed stops.  The whole loop is slightly under ten miles.   

Granted, this shuttle would require cooperation between both the Cities of Los Angeles and West Hollywood, and it will be months before all of these types of businesses re-open.  But we plan for the future today.  

Imagine someone taking the Red Line to Hollywood, to then catch the shuttle to see a play on Theatre Row or a set at The Comedy Store; and then heading for a drink at The Rainbow Room, or Mickey's; and then head back to the subway, having left the car at home.

What do you think?

Metro Los Angeles' NextGen Bus Plan

Metro Los Angeles is undergoing a once every few decades overhaul of its bus network called the NextGen Bus Plan.  The basic strategy of this plan is to merge the Rapid and Limited lines with their respective Local lines, while increasing space between stops to create new, more frequent bus lines.  This approach has proven successful in other regions.  Here is some examples of upcoming changes:

Rapid 704 and Local 4 are combined into new frequent Line 4:

Rapid 705 and Local 105 are combined into new frequent Line 105:

For my friends in Malibu, Line 534 turns into Line 134 with more frequent weekend service:

A fascinating change is combining of Rapid 780 with Locals 180, 181, and 217 to create a new powerhouse frequent Line 180 running between the La Cienega / Jefferson station of Metro's E-Line and Pasadena City College via Fairfax - Hollywood - Los Feliz - Colorado.  In my thinking, the only way this line will work operationally is if bus lanes are installed on Hollywood Blvd.  And why not?  So many lines start and finish at Hollywood Blvd. from every direction.  Hollywood Blvd. is already being eyed for a redesign.  Now would be the time.  

To look at all of the systemwide changes, please click here.

What do you think?