Will Trolleys Roll in Manhattan Beach?

To trolley or not... That is the question the Manhattan Beach City Council wants to answer as it explores the feasibility of adding a trolley transit system that would run east-west in an effort to serve residents and commuters east of Sepulveda Boulevard. 

Tuesday night, City Council voted 4-1 to move forward with establishing a needs assessment for the trolley, funding options and the approximate costs of a fixed trolley route after Greg Meeks of Rural Transit Consultants presented two plans: one in which a trolley would run approximately every 30 minutes, 10 hours a day, 360 days a year, estimated at a cost of $369,160 a year; the other in which a trolley would run 14 hours a day, 360 days a year, at a cost of $437,160 a year. Meeks estimated the purchase of a used trolley to be between $45,000 and $65,000, a cost not factored into the two plan estimates. The trolley system would require two to three trolleys, according to a city staff report.

A Manhattan Beach Trolley Feasibility Study was presented to council in April 2010. Mayor Nick Tell, Mayor Pro Tem Wayne Powell and Council member Richard Montgomery were on council at the time.

Tuesday night, Tell said people who live east of Sepulveda have told him, “There is nothing for us,” and Councilwoman Amy Howorth was especially interested in serving the middle and high school populations given that Manhattan Beach Middle and Mira Costa High schools are east of Sepulveda.

Powell pointed out that people in Manhattan Beach already have access to Ocean Express and Beach City Transit, which the city has to subsidize due to a lack of use.

Councilman David Lesser, the lone dissenting vote, expressed worry about the long term cost of maintenance, saying that with other demands on city funds, such as street maintenance, now is not the the time for a trolley transit system. 

Montgomery argued that Manhattan Beach is a "green" city, and that the trolley system would lessen vehicle emissions due to fewer cars on the streets.

Powell reminded listeners that in order to be green and support better health for MB residents, the city has already voted to support Vitality City and the South Bay Master Bike Plan and a walking school bus. ”Let’s direct more time and effort toward these,” he said.  

Howorth said that although there has been no public outcry for a trolley system, that once put in place, and promoted, people would use it.  

Those in the audience who spoke at the council meeting were all against the trolley concept, asking that council consider the effect noisy trolleys on already crowded streets would have on residents.

After the public discussion, council agreed that far more information is needed pertaining to route selection, stop locations, bus stop maintenance, vehicle storage, hours of operations, use by schools, the consideration of making it free vs. a small fee, and whether or not the community wants and will use a trolley transit system.    

According to a staff report, money for the trolley transit system is available through Measure R, which assesses and designates that a ½ percent tax on sales in Los Angeles County be used for transport services and street maintenance. The report notes that the funds needed to operate the trolley system annually could exceed the amount brought in by Measure R.