LA Mayor mulling a gondola to the Hollywood Sign from Universal Studios

With the closure of the Beachwood Drive access point to the Hollywood Sign, city leaders looking for ways to help get people up to the sign without aggravating any of the residents who live near the landmark. A shuttle is already running seven days a week—not to the sign itself, but to Griffith Observatory, the “official” viewing location for the sign—and now it appears they’re getting pretty creative in brainstorming some new options.

In an interview with ABC7 over the weekend, Mayor Eric Garcetti said he is even considering a gondola up to the sign.

Garcetti told the news outlet that he’s confident there’s, “a better way [to get people up to the sign] that doesn't just choke all of the streets with a thousand tour buses.” (A zipline could work, too.)

The mayor said that one possible location pick-up location for the hypothetical gondola would be in or near Universal Studios. He said money generated from the kitschy transport could help pay for maintenance of Griffith Park, where the sign is located, and traffic reduction measures in foothill neighborhoods.

The city stopped allowing hikers to enter the park via one of the popular entrances, Beachwood Drive, on April 18 in response to a lawsuit filed by Sunset Ranch Hollywood, which claimed the city was blocking access to its horseback riding business by channeling hikers onto its driveway.

The nonprofit Friends of Griffith Park and a trust led by the great-grandson of the man who donated the land that became Griffith Park is trying to intervene in the case to get access reopened at the Beachwood Drive location.

See ABC7 for the full interview with Garcetti.

• Mayor Garcetti considers gondola from Universal Studios to Hollywood Sign [ABC7]
• Friends of Griffith Park wants to join legal battle over Hollywood Sign access [Curbed LA]
• How to see the Hollywood Sign [Curbed LA]