Cheeky Transit
A brightly-colored sign identifying a stop on the Pick Up Line’s route. Photo by Anna Peccianti
The City of West Hollywood is hoping patrons of popular bars and restaurants on Santa Monica Boulevard will ditch the car keys and hop aboard the free, DJ-carrying, pop art-inspired trolley called The Pick Up Line.
The wonderfully outrageous trolley runs along a four-mile stretch of the busy boulevard every Friday and Saturday night and is supported by local businesses who offer passengers discounted appetizers, drinks and other perks.
The Pick Up Line is strategically placed to serve a need but it also excels in making public transportation seriously fun. This innovative combination has led to great success and saw approximately 1,200 passengers coming aboard during the trolley’s first year. So much success in fact that trolley will soon expand service, running on Sunday nights and holidays. The route will also be extended inviting more people to jump aboard and then post their Pick Up Line selfies to Instagram or Facebook.
The Pick Up Line. Photo via the WeHo Pick Up Facebook page
This isn’t the first time the City of West Hollywood has proven to be an innovator in transportation planning. In 2012, the city temporarily painted one intersection of crosswalks on Santa Monica Boulevard in rainbow colors to celebrate Gay Pride. The crosswalks became so popular that the city decided to keep the rainbow crosswalks which serves to welcome the LGBTQQAAIP community to West Hollywood. Councilmember John Duran said that the crosswalks tell passersby that West Hollywood “is a sanctuary. It tells them there is a safe place in America where the LGBT community is celebrated.” In addition to being welcoming, these brightly-colored crosswalks are a very smart safety feature, which create a clearly defined and protected space for pedestrians who are crossing the busy intersection. Win-win.
A rainbow crosswalk in West Hollywood, CA. Photo by Jon Viscott via West Hollywood Patch
Pedestrian Safety in West Hollywood
Pedestrian safety ads in West Hollywood, CA feature a same-sex family. Photo via Curbed LA
The Los Angeles region has a new safety campaign called “Watch the Road” which encourages drivers and pedestrians to be aware of one another at all times.
The City of West Hollywood has a large gay community and one of the Watch the Road campaign ads feature a same-sex family, acknowledging and including a diversity of families in their campaign. Inclusiveness can foster a sense of civic pride and participation and by the city acknowledging the diversity of their community, the city is encouraging a feeling of inclusiveness.
THE ACCESSIBLE CITY 