Laguna Launches Designated Rideshare Areas

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Last week, Laguna Beach became the second city on the West Coast to implement a rideshare geolocation program that features designated pick up and drop off points, according to the Laguna Beach Police Department. The new pick up and drop off areas are located at 200 Ocean Avenue, 200 Laguna Avenue and 100 Brooks Street.

“Instead of Uber/Lyft drivers stopping on Coast Highway to pick up and drop off passengers, their apps will now direct both drivers and riders to these three new areas located on side streets,” said Capt. Jeff Calvert.

“Officers Shar Hariri and Fred Yeilding, who are assigned to the Laguna Beach Police Department Business Liaison Unit, observed that Uber and Lyft drivers often stop on Coast Highway to pick up or drop off passengers,” Chief of Police Laura Farinella said in a statement. “The drivers stopping in the roadway present a safety concern for other motorists and pedestrians.”

Hariri and Yeilding worked with Uber and Lyft to find a solution to that concern. The two companies leveraged the geolocation technology on their apps, which allows them to set specific pick up locations, and by doing so, moved passenger pick up locations onto side streets with less traffic.

LBPD officials said the change has helped to increase awareness and provide safer rideshare pick up locations. Hariri and Yeilding are now working with city staff to develop signage identifying the pick-up locations, and reaching out to local businesses about the safe pick up areas.

“The Business Liaison Unit strives to find modern ways of improving public safety by using new technologies to adapt to changing environments,” Farinella said in the statement. “As we continue to move forward into the modern world, the Laguna Beach Police Department is continually seeking new ways to integrate creative solutions aimed at improving public safety.”

For more information, contact Capt. Jeff Calvert at 949-497-0375 or [email protected].

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4 COMMENTS

  1. Will this work as well as the implementation of No Smoking and No Drones? Both laws have failed miserably…….add another string of caution to the blinking lighted signs on PCH…?

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