Eyes on the Street: Griffith Observatory Parking Lot and Shuttle

The recently expanded Griffith Observatory DASH shuttle, coupled with new parking fees, are working to reduce congestion in Griffith Park. On a clear beautiful Saturday afternoon (April 1 at 3:06 p.m.) Drew Mabry took these two photos. The image above shows long lines for the now-popular shuttle. The image below shows the Griffith Observatory parking lot fairly empty, in contrast with recent traffic jams that took place when the parking was all free.

Commenters on these photos, posted at the Keep Griffith Wild Facebook page, have suggested that more shuttle service may be needed to handle demand. With parking at $4/hour, there is a lot of incentive for Observatory visitors to ride the 50-cent shuttle.

Shuttle service and parking fees were just launched on March 21, and are expected to get an early trial-by-fire handling gridlock-inducing Spring Break crowds from April 7 through April 17.

In other Griffith Park access news:

• Due to a lawsuit, the city Department of Recreation and Parks will close the popular Griffith Park access at the Beachwood Gate. This entrance is popular due to its proximity to the Hollywood Sign. The closure takes effect immediately after Spring Break, beginning April 18, 2017.
• On Friday, the L.A. City Council approved a motion by City Councilmember David Ryu to pay $100,000 for a new Griffith Park "access and mobility" study. The study, funded by Ryu's Council District 4 discretionary funds, will "focus on the impacted areas near the western side of Griffith Park," proposing "best practices for public access and Hollywood Sign viewing along the various hiking trails, all while continuing to protect the urban wilderness elements of the Park."