I applaud Michaell Magrutsche for calling attention to our trolley system: what’s working and what’s not for Laguna residents. The trolleys are adorable and the drivers excellent. The reason we see so few people using their neighborhood trolleys is simply that there is never correct information at the depot, at the major stops, at Suzi Q and the Visitors Center, online or at the Transit Department itself! The only way you can glean correct information is by talking to the drivers who are sometimes diverted from following their routes by some authority over a microphone.
Isn’t the first responsibility of a publicly funded transport system to make available to the residents correct information about their routes and schedule? Do we really want to see more empty trolleys going up and down our hills and more Lyft and Ubers clogging up downtown?
Someday our aging population will be mostly dependent on public transport. Surely the city can find a way to make our trolleys work for the locals.
Lorna Cohen, Laguna Beach
Thank you Lorna, There is so much feedback on Laguna Locals Facebook and Next door I think they oversee that the City needs to do more than be able to have a Trolley in Laguna. WE NEED TO HAVE A TROLLEY THAT IS ACTUALLY A USABLE SERVICE FOR THE PUBLIC to make it save parking spots and make the public comfortable to use public transportation. https://www.lagunabeachindy.com/letter-disappointed-with-trolley-service/#comment-733850
The REASON Lorna, is because our city government refuses to take Laguna’s mobility system seriously. They delegate operations and maintenance of PCH and Laguna Canyon Road to our state DOT Caltrans, they agendize mobility improvements through political grandstanding not systems integration analysis or sound engineering. The Trolley, Village Entrance, Pepper Tree bikeracks, Steel Magnolias, FrogParking and now Trolley Apps are examples.
The REASON Lorna is because our Public Works Department know a Trolley cannot meet a schedule so they reassure riders with a Trolley App. Remember the pet-rock? Rub pet-rock in your pocket and make a wish, the App works like that. Our Public Works Department believes if they twiddle the control knobs just right the Trolley will meet rider demand in saturated traffic. They believe a 1-hour Trolley ride and 10-minute walk are equivalent.
The good news is both Village Laguna and our Laguna developers are beginning to recognize the importance of a healthy mobility system for Laguna. Stay Tuned.
Don’t count on Village Laguna! This is about the city. They’re so fond of hiring consultants it’s astonishing they haven’t put one to work designing a usable app. It’s absurd
WOULD WALKING BE THE ANSWER? How many people do you see walking in Laguna? Is this City really walking friendly? What about those people that worked 8plus hours in a restaurant or have problems with their legs or feet? If walking was the answer lets stop the Trolley service all together.