An Olympics water taxi connecting San Pedro with Long Beach’s Rainbow Harbor was deemed feasible and received an anchors up nod by the LA Metro governing board on Thursday, Dec. 4.
Though not quite ready to set sail, the idea was floated in early May by Fourth District LA County Supervisor Janice Hahn, who represents the Los Angeles Harbor and is a member of the Metro board. The proposal will go through the next steps of finding a funding source and an operator. Those findings are due back to the transit agency board in about six months.
“A water taxi between San Pedro and Long Beach would be an opportunity to showcase our waterfront, cut down on traffic on the bridges, and give residents and visitors a memorable way to get to Olympic and Paralympic events,” said Hahn. She added that the vote on her motion moves the project closer to reality.
A 43-page feasibility study concluded the project would satisfy one of the main goals of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games: to reduce mind-numbing traffic on freeways, roadways and bridges as the region is swarmed with up to 15 million visitors to see the games or participate.
“The effort would support the Games’ goal of a transit-first Olympics and Paralympics, and work to mitigate concerns over roadway congestion and traffic flows during the games,” concluded the Metro-commissioned study prepared by KPFF Consulting Engineers based in Seattle along with El Segundo-based GPA Consulting.
The study looked upon a car-less way to move spectators, volunteers, vendors and even athletes from the San Gabriel Valley, Central L.A. and Long Beach to San Pedro in a favorable manner. A potential transit route would start with existing dedicated bus lanes in El Monte and Gardena to Long Beach, connecting to a water taxi that takes passengers to San Pedro.
This would help move people to and from 18 Olympic and Paralympic events being ghosted by the city of Long Beach — the most of any venue city outside of Los Angeles itself. San Pedro will host sailing, be home to Croatia House for out-of-town spectators, and also will have hotels filled with Olympic visitors, Hahn said.
According to the study, the water taxi would carry 1,800 to 5,600 people each day and make between eight and 16 daily round trips. The service would consist of two or three boats operating daily over a period of 47 days during the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
How long would a boat ride take?
A water taxi going between West Harbor and Rainbow Harbor Dock 9 would take between 34 and 59 minutes. The variation depends on how much water traffic is in the area. Also, the water taxi must travel at reduced speeds in the slow, no-wake zone, the report stated.
Without the water taxi, the Los Angeles Department of Transportation’s Commuter Express (Route 142) takes about 26 minutes to make the trip. Driving the Seaside Freeway takes 18-30 minutes during congested conditions. The land routes actually will take less time to cross than the water taxi, the report concluded.
However, the report adds a caveat to the timing estimates.
Namely, that during the games, there will be more cars on the roads due to increased demand. Also, operations and security zones during the Olympic and Paralympic games could clog roadways and the Vincent Thomas Bridge with more cars and create detours, making the water taxi a viable transit alternative.
The water taxi operation would cost between $913,000 and $1.45 million, the report estimated. The report said the cost of operating the water taxi could be as low as $4 per passenger seat.
Funding the water taxi could be through a public-private operation, with LA Metro running the service. Or it could be run by a private operator, the report said.
Other issues that need further study include:
• Could the running of the actual games, namely in-water events such as sailing and open water swimming, pose operating restrictions on the water taxi service?
• Securing a fleet of water vessels could be challenging, especially for the short duration of time. The Olympic Games will get underway from July 14 to July 30, 2028 with the Paralympic Games set to run Aug. 15 through Aug. 27 that year.