FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
January 17, 2018
Press Contact:
Estevan Montemayor
Los Angeles, CA — Today, Dixon Resources Unlimited, a transportation consulting firm, released a comprehensive study to improve safety, traffic, and tourist access around Griffith Park and the Hollywood Sign. Councilmember Ryu introduced a motion instructing various City departments to study each strategy presented in the Dixon Resources Unlimited Study for its feasibility.
“Resolving issues of safety, traffic and responsible tourist and hiking access to our City’s most popular park and most famous icon have been a priority since the day I entered office,” Councilmember Ryu said. “I am very pleased to finally have this report after months of study by Dixon Unlimited.”
The study, created with input from various community stakeholders, offers a total of 29 strategies to improve access to Griffith Park and Trailheads, improve emergency vehicle access, expand transit options, enhance pedestrian safety, improve traffic flow & reduce congestion, increase parking efficiency and compliance rates and proactively manage visitors to the Park and Hollywood Sign. Data was collected through average daily traffic counts of both pedestrians and motor vehicles, occupancy of various trails, streets, and park areas, and by surveying visitors to the Park and Sign.
“The Department looks forward to working with Councilmember Ryu on resolving neighborhood concerns related to traffic, access and mobility,” said Michael Shull, General Manager for Recreation and Parks. “This study provides tremendous opportunities to achieve these goals by focusing on community concerns and potential strategies to improve the park and surrounding neighborhoods.”
The report, conducted by Dixon Resources Unlimited, to address issues of traffic and safety around the sign, offers several recommendations such as developing a shuttle service up Beachwood Canyon, studying the feasibility of an aerial tram, establishing a Hollywood Sign Visitor Center, implementing a wayfinding strategy, installing new signage, and working with Google and Waze to communicate accurate access information.
Councilmember Ryu has held hundreds of meetings with community groups, local businesses and stakeholders to embrace ideas and find consensus leading up to the commission of this study, and has not taken a position on any particular strategy offered in the Dixon study.
The stakeholders involved in creating this study were Beachwood Canyon Neighborhood Association, Friends of Griffith Park, Griffith Park Advisory Board, Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, Hollywood Hills West Neighborhood Council, Hollywood Knolls Community Club, Hollywood Sign Trust, Hollywood United Neighborhood Council, Hollywoodland Homeowners Association, Lake Hollywood Homeowners Association, Los Feliz Improvement Association, Los Feliz Neighborhood Council, and The Oaks Homeowners Association.
“Fixing traffic and mobility issues surrounding Griffith Park and the Hollywood Sign is incredibly important work,” said Julie Dixon of Dixon Resources Unlimited. “Our priority was to work with the community and the park to develop a balanced solution that provides access and addresses safety, and our goal was to explore every possible route to find this solution.”
The Dixon study marks the first time a comprehensive study, replete with data and strategies relating to visitor access to the Hollywood Sign and reducing negative impacts on nearby neighborhoods, has been made available to the City of Los Angeles. With the new information and visitor data, it is now possible for the City to analyze the possible solutions with accurate and up-to-date information.
“The Hollywood Sign and Griffith Park are being loved to death,” Ryu added. “This is a world-renowned icon, and possibly the only one without proper access to it. It’s like having the Statue of Liberty without a visitor’s center, viewing platform, or even a sign telling you how to get to it. It is unsustainable and unsafe. I look forward to looking at the specifics of the feasibility of these strategies.”
Councilmember Ryu’s motion today instructs various City departments to begin studying the feasibility of the various strategies proposed in the Dixon study. Councilmember Ryu will continue to seek input from community members throughout the process. No single proposed idea is preferred over another by Councilmember Ryu at this time.
Read the report here.
Read the data collection & analysis here.
Read the motion here.
Read the FAQ here.