Trolley Rolls Into New Neighborhoods

By Lindsey Paige,

Special to the Independent

The Laguna Beach free trolley is back for summer and now offers new service routes to some of Laguna’s steepest and most narrow roads.

Three new red trolleys are now picking up passengers in the neighborhoods of Top of the World, Bluebird Canyon and Arch Beach Heights.

They join a fleet of 18 blue trolleys that continue to cater to passengers going to the art festivals in Laguna Canyon and along Coast Highway.

The full coastal route spans Cajon Street in North Laguna to the Ritz Carlton in Dana Point, according to the city’s online trolley map.

Another newly introduced transit option starts July 9. Visitors can also take advantage of Summer Breeze Bus Service (Route 689), offering a free bus ride from a parking lot near the State Route 133 and Interstate 405 interchange in Irvine to Laguna Beach. The bus will run Saturday and Sunday, July 9 to Aug. 28 from 11 a.m. to midnight, with stops at the Festival of Arts and downtown bus station, says a city announcement and schedule on the city’s website.

The residential trolley program aims to give residents who do not live in proximity to Coast Highway or Laguna Canyon Road access to the free trolley service. The now hugely popular free summer trolley was initially instituted to cater to tourists visiting summer art festivals.

“I like that [the trolley system] helps reduce traffic during the summer months and gives people an alternative to driving,” said Laguna Beach local and a frequent trolley-rider, Andrew Castro.

Some neighborhood residents were concerned about the impact of the new trolley routes. In March more than 170 individuals signed a petition to block the route into South Laguna. Some North Laguna residents also opposed the new route. North Laguna wished to opt out of the neighborhood service due to its close proximity to the Coastal Route and concerns regarding noise and light, and possibly intensifying parking, pedestrian and bicycle traffic, according to Robert Sedita, the acting deputy director for the city’s transit service.

As a result, in May the City Council approved removing both areas from the neighborhood trolley route.

About 30,000 passengers took advantage of the pre-summer trolley service, Ben Siegel, a former deputy city manager of community services, said in March. Last year, 656,936 people boarded the summer trolley service.

Laguna Beach resident Casey Landvogt said that he uses the trolley when commuting to seeing his girlfriend in Dana Point, connecting to the trolley system there, because “getting an Uber after 8 p.m. in Laguna is impossible.” He thinks that the new routes to neighborhoods are “necessary and convenient for the people that live there.”

Laguna Beach visitor Audra Weinstein said she had a less than ideal experience with the trolley when trying to take one from Main Beach. “I waited 30 minutes with my family and people were pushing and shoving to get on the trolley. If more people are getting on the trolley, the trolleys will become even more crowded,” said Weinstein.

The coastal trolley runs seven days a week from 9:30 a.m. until 11:30 p.m. until Sept 5. Compared to the city’s mainline bus service, which also ventures to uphill neighborhoods, neighborhood trolleys will run at 30-minute intervals and include connections to the coast and canyon routes. The pilot program will run from June 24 – Sept. 5, and will operate Monday – Thursday from 6:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m., Friday from 6:30 a.m. – 11 p.m., Saturday from 9:30 a.m. – 11 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.

The regular summer trolley service is offered every 20 minutes and runs along Laguna Canyon Road, stopping at the Sawdust Festival, Art-A-Fair, Festival of Arts, Laguna Playhouse and the bus station where riders can also connect with coastal route trolleys.

Smartphone users can download a trolley tracker from the Visit Laguna Beach app.

Indy intern Lindsey Paige is a journalism student at the University of Florida.