Plans are moving ahead for a proposed shuttle system to be implemented next year, linking Malibu and the Santa Monica Mountains to the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority bus routes.
The “Heart of the Park Shuttle Route” would bring an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 more tourists annually to area beaches and mountains, said Dana Heiberg, community planner for the National Park Service, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.
The first year of the project would be for demonstration purposes, with use restricted to weekends only.
The mini-shuttles would pick up visitors using San Fernando Valley and Santa Monica MTA bus routes, and drive them to spots within the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SMMNRA) via a bi-directional loop using Malibu Canyon Road, Kanan Dume Road, Mulholland Highway and the Pacific Coast Highway.
Passenger stops are planned at Malibu Creek State Park, Tapia Park, Pepperdine University, Malibu Lagoon, Solstice Canyon, and two stops near Zuma and Westward beaches.
The operation would cost roughly $250,000 per year, with 30 percent to 40 percent of that being offset by fare revenues, Heiberg said.
“We’re hoping to work with the state and county to fund the rest of the operating costs,” he said. “We feel confident about a partnership with one or both because we serve a lot of state and county sites.”
There is also discussion of extending the service to include the Santa Monica Pier and Thousand Oaks Visitor Center, as the proposed project is pending public reaction to the SMMNRA plan.
Heiberg said he so far has receieved “very positive feedback from the public. There has been a lot of interest and support.”
Public comments regarding the proposal, via letter (Transportation, National Park Service, 401 W. Hillcrest Drive, Thousand Oaks, Calif. 91360) or e-mail (dan_heiberg@nps.gov), are being accepted through May 22 by the SMMNRA.
An environmental impact analysis of the project provided by the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area showed no adverse effect stemming from the “Heart of the Park Shuttle Route.”
“The park is interested in providing some transportation alternative reducing traffic, pollution, and the demand for parking,” Heiberg said.
The National Park Service is also considering a “water shuttle” to complement the bus shuttle, such as a boat trip between Santa Monica Pier and Malibu Pier, thus connecting people from the beaches to the mountains.