In their quest to keep people out of their cars during the Olympic Games, Los Angeles County leaders will plan to install a water taxi for the 2028 Olympic Games to transport fans between San Pedro and Long Beach, where several events will be organized.
County supervisor, Janice Hahn, presented a motion on Wednesday at the meeting of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Metro Games Committee to launch a feasibility study evaluating the demand for recommendation, costs and possible routes. The motion was unanimously approved by committee members and public comments were extremely favorable, some residents suggesting that a water taxi is installed earlier to adapt to the closing of the coming months of Vincent Thomas Bridge.
“If we are serious to which the 2028 games are in transit-premier, we must make public transport, accessible, reliable and fun for people, and we cannot only count on our buses and our trains,” said Hahn, who chairs the committee. “(The water taxi) would give residents, workers and tourists an affordable alternative to driving and parking in these games.”
The motion was co-written by the mayor Karen Bass, the members of the board of directors of the Fernando Dutra metro and Jacquelin Dupont-Walker, and the mayor of Inglewood James Butts. The study will be given to the board of directors within 90 days.
So far, San Pedro has not been planned to organize events, but will serve as “Croatia House” – a cultural hub for athletes, leaders and tourists in Croatia. This agreement was concluded last year between the member of the municipal council Tim Mcosker and Zlatko Mateša, president of the National Olympic Committee of Croatia. Long Beach will host 11 events, including Beach Volley, Water-Polo and Aviron.
Los Angeles is confronted with challenges to achieve its transit goals for the 2028 games, which Bass offered as “car” Olympic Games, largely dependent on the acquisition of thousands of buses to transport fans to places in the region.
The supervisor Lindsey Horvath said the city had received rental commitments for around 650 buses. The objective of the officials is to rent nearly 3,000 buses for a price of around $ 2 billion. Metro previously asked the federal government to cover funding for a demand for $ 3.2 billion for Olympic projects. But as the Trump administration has threatened funds in several departments, funds remain evolving.
Hahn previously told Times that Metro goes ahead with his plans assuming that funding would be completed.
The taxi with water would offer alternatives to bus needs and was presented as a way to mitigate congestion along the two bridges connecting San Pedro to Long Beach and the surrounding roads. Fans could park in San Pedro or get on the Ferry on Metro J.
There is a precedent for the Ferry service, said Hahn, citing an operation that used to commute between the Terminal and San Pedro fishing village. This ferry took place from 1941 to 1963, according to the Los Angeles Maritime Museum, which was housed in one of the original ferry buildings.
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