A trolly that may be worth dodging, for now
You remember the problems the Dodgers had with that shuttle bus service they started a couple seasons back, one that took passengers less than two miles from Union Station to Dodger Stadium in a "timely" fashion -- only to get held up in traffic, miss innings and generally upset everyone.
Nothing runs perfect at first. Kinda like that idea for everyone to park at Dodger Stadium and take shuttles to the Coliseum for the one-time-only exhibition game against the Red Sox.
With all that in mind, don't be stunned if this new trolley service that the team and the L.A. City Department of Transportation is launching Friday night somehow derails at the start.
It's just a bad track record we're going on here.
Not that we wish it ill will. Our hope is to use it in the last couple months of the season.
Again, taking people back and forth from Union Station to the diamond on the hill will be a challenge. You avoid the $15 parking fee, but will there be enough trolleys, starting 90 minutes before each game, ending an hour after the game ends, to accomodate everyone? They're supposed to be leaving the curb every 10 minutes.
Good luck, factoring in the traffic at about 5:30 p.m. on a weeknight.
"This is a first step in a much larger effort to provide public transit options to Dodger Stadium, and I want to thank the city officials for their leadership," Dodgers owner Frank McCourt said. "As we all do our part to help protect our environment, it is critical that we find ways to help people get to where they want to go, including Dodger Stadium."
Translation: If we can prove this works, maybe the city will finally build some kind of subway station up to Chavez Ravine.
Folks can reach Union Station through the various MTA bus and rail services. L.A. mayor Antonio Villaraigosa already has a photo-op planned: He and other council members are riding the first shuttle to the game.
We'll have their limos on call to pick them up 10 minutes after dropoff. Just mind the gap.
More info on the trolley: http://www.dodgers.com/trolley
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