The mayor of Los Angeles, Eric Garcetti, wants to make reaching the Hollywood sign an easy task for tourists and locals.
The way Garcetti plans to make that happen is to build a gondola or ‘aerial tram’ to the Hollywood sign.
Due to a ‘legal fight’ because of numerous hikers in the area, the city of Los Angeles closed the Beachwood Drove gate which led easy access to the sign.
George Kivork, a spokesman for the mayor, said that Garcetti was, “open to exploring ideas that ease congestion and encourages creative thinking when looking at ways to give Angelenos and tourists better access to the Hollywood sign and other iconic landmarks and destinations.”
Garcetti proposed that the tram could start around Universal Studios.
Although tourists would have a way to reach the Hollywood sign, Marian Dodge, president of Friends of Griffith Park, said, “But it would not resolve the problem for residents who want to walk up their street and go for a hike.”
Dodge did warn though that views of the sign have to remain clear and reminded people that it is a ‘historic monument.’
A Beachwood Canyon homeowner, Sarajane Schwartz, doesn’t believe the gondola would be a complete success. “Why would people pay money if they can go to a bootlegged entrance for free?”
The mayor and City Councilman, David Ryu, have already started playing around with ideas for the tram. Gacretti wants to use revenue accumulated from the service to ‘relieve traffic,' in the congested city.
The idea of a tram to the Hollywood sign has actually been proposed before but was never taken seriously. But in light of tensions revolving around the sign and a new age of technology, the creation of an aerial tram to the Hollywood sign looks like it might happen.
See the full story on LATimes.com and USNews.com.