Laguna Beach council adjusts trolley routes along the coast

The Laguna Beach City Council on Tuesday approved multiple strategies designed to boost efficiency of the city’s transit system and reduce vehicular congestion.

In a unanimous vote, the council agreed to adjust two trolley routes along South Coast Highway in response to complaints of an insufficient number of stops.

Last summer, the city experimented with two routes to address concerns the trolleys were crowded and too full to pick up passengers from stops in South Laguna.

One of the routes, the Short Coastal Route, began in north Laguna at North Cliff Drive and traveled south to Mission Hospital before turning around.

The second route, the Limited Stop Coastal Route, began at the downtown transit depot. Trolleys then stopped at locations such as The Ranch at Laguna Beach and the Ritz-Carlton resort in Dana Point.

City staff reported that residents complained about trolleys not stopping at certain locations north and south of the Montage Laguna Beach resort. They suggested adjustments such as adding more stops on the Limited Stop Coastal Route, which will be renamed the Long Coastal Route.

The city’s Short and Long Coastal routes will go as far south as Mission Hospital and the Ritz-Carlton, respectively, with the same number of stops from the downtown transit depot to Mission Hospital. Changes will take effect Dec. 8, according to Shohreh Dupuis, the city’s public works director.

Trolleys traverse along South Coast Highway Fridays through Sundays in the non-summer months and daily during the summer, when Laguna teems with visitors to the art festivals and beaches.

As part of their vote, council members directed City Manager John Pietig to gather proposals from private companies that would provide trolley drivers, and return to the group with a recommendation for a contract.

Pietig said the city spends considerable time hiring part-time drivers, which includes checking qualifications.

Last summer, 30% of the seasonal drivers returned to their regular jobs, such as school bus drivers, three weeks before the end of summer service, Paula Faust , deputy public works director, told the council. Faust said the city hired contract drivers to fill the vacancies.

Council members directed city staff to evaluate whether there are enough boardings to justify sending trolleys to The Ranch in Aliso Canyon.

Ten passengers per day boarded at the Ranch during the non-summer weekends while an average of 27 passengers boarded trolleys daily during the summer, with a peak of 59 passengers, according to a city staff report.

The city received complaints from some passengers that it takes too long to pick up and drop off people at the Ranch, Pietig said, adding that the city would discuss ridership trends with Mark Christy, principal of Laguna Beach Golf & Bungalow, LLC, the group that owns the Ranch.

Also at Tuesday’s meeting, the council directed Laguna staff to continue researching technology geared to making it easier for motorists to find parking spaces.

Mobile apps help drivers navigate to available spots, reducing time spent circling streets in search of a space, the report said. These systems require sensors, which are placed into the road or into parking meters.

Sensors transmit usage data, such as parking occupancy and turnover statistics, to a cloud-based system. Data is refreshed every one to seven seconds, the report said.

The projected cost for the sensors would be more than $1 million with annual maintenance costs of $90,000, the report said.

The average cost per sensor is $300. Laguna has 2,086 meters and 1,500 off-street parking spaces, according to the report.

bryce.alderton@latimes.com

Twitter: @AldertonBryce