Gawking tourists riveted to loud, lurid tales about Hollywood stars that blare from loudspeakers in open-topped buses meandering through pricey, quiet neighborhoods may soon be a thing of the past.
The Los Angeles City Council member representing Hollywood is promising to push for new city restrictions on tour bus routes that will also ban loudspeakers and force open-air tourist buses to use headsets for their customers.
It’s all possible because of a new state law cracking down on tour bus operations.
Los Angeles City Councilman David Ryu Thursday praised the new state law that allows cities to enact restrictions on tour bus operators.
Assembly Bill 25, which was signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown on Wednesday, authorizes local jurisdictions to impose restrictions such as limiting which streets the buses can travel and prohibiting the use of loudspeakers on buses without roofs.
“I commend Assemblyman (Adrin) Nazarian on leading this issue in the state Assembly, and Governor Brown for signing it into law. It is an issue that I have been fighting to address since I entered office,” said Ryu, whose district includes the Hollywood area where many tour buses operate.
Ryu introduced two motions Friday that would enact restrictions on tour bus operators.
“Today, I introduced motions that would put in place common-sense rules to guide how tour buses should be able to operate in the city of Los Angeles,” said Ryu, whose district includes the Hollywood area where many tour buses operate.
The motions would direct the city attorney to draft an ordinance requiring the use of headphones for all passengers on open-air tour buses, and would instruct the Department of Transportation, with assistance from the police and fire departments, to report back to the City Council within 30 days with a list of routes or streets, particularly including hillside substandard streets, which are unsafe for tour buses to operate on.
“Every day, dozens of these tour buses wind up narrow hillside roads that simply were not built for this kind of use. Now, we have a chance to ensure the safety of tourists and residents alike,” Ryu said.
City News Service