Resolution Restricts Heavy Buses While Crews Repair Roads, Slopes, Utilities
Tour buses will no longer be allowed to operate in fire-impacted areas of Pacific Palisades after the Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to restrict so-called “disaster tours.”, according to multiple media reports.
The resolution authorizes the Department of Transportation to prohibit bus operations across roughly 16 square miles of hillside neighborhoods recovering from January’s wildfire. Officials said the restrictions are intended to preserve public safety as crews continue repairing roadways, stabilizing slopes, and rebuilding utilities, homes, and businesses along narrow, winding streets.
Under the rules, vehicles weighing more than 6,000 pounds, including most tour buses, will be barred from entering the restricted zone. Signs will be posted at key entry points, and the Los Angeles Police Department will enforce the restrictions for as long as the city’s wildfire emergency declaration remains in effect.
The boundaries stretch from the Santa Monica Mountains ridgeline to the north, to the city limit near Coastline Drive and Pacific Coast Highway to the west, and along Pacific Coast Highway, Chautauqua Boulevard, Sunset Boulevard, and Mandeville Canyon Road.
The Department of Transportation noted that Pacific Coast Highway falls under Caltrans jurisdiction and said it will ask the state to consider additional tour bus restrictions along the highway north of Santa Monica.
Councilwoman Traci Park, who represents the 11th District covering coastal neighborhoods including Pacific Palisades and Venice, introduced the motion in June after residents were outraged by the tour buses.
