Free summer shuttle trips on Balboa Peninsula? City considers plans

Newport Beach is moving forward with plans to launch a free shuttle service that could move locals and visitors around the Balboa Peninsula during busy summer weekends.

According to city documents, the city is considering operating three or four shuttles along Balboa Boulevard on 10 summer weekends from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Visions for the shuttle vary from a traditional open-air trolley style to a woody-inspired van, like the shuttle used in Dana Point.

In May, the city hired Dan Boyle & Associates, a San Diego-based transportation planning firm, to look into the potential routes, cost and market for a transit service.

The Balboa Village Advisory Committee, made up of area business owners, residents and city officials, discussed the report this month and voted unanimously in favor of moving the issue to the City Council, which could authorize city staff to pursue funding for the project by January.

“Stakeholders were adamant that the vehicles used for the shuttle need to be attractive,” the feasibility study states. “School buses will not attract ridership. If the shuttle is positioned as cool, locals will ride it.”

Community leaders have been working for years to upgrade the aging downtown area with streetscape, new signs and repairs to business facades. The Balboa Village Advisory Committee has been considering for some time the question of how to transport people around the area in the busiest months, members say.

The peninsula is narrow, with a main drag that becomes crowded during the summer. Beachgoers and shoppers often must circle Balboa Boulevard as they hunt for a parking spot.

Local leaders believe a shuttle service may alleviate some of the traffic congestion. It likely would take visitors from a parking lot off the peninsula to popular spots such as Lido Village, McFadden Square and the Balboa Pier.

City staff is looking into using a city-owned lot on Superior Avenue and possibly a parking lot at Hoag Hospital down the peninsula.

“It’s really to improve the mobility of the area and provide options for people,” said Brenda Wisneski, the city’s deputy director of community development.

“We’re obviously not going to cut out all traffic impacts on the peninsula on a hot summer day,” said Mayor Pro Tem Diane Dixon, who represents the area. “This would be a modest improvement to getting around.”

A shuttle service is estimated to cost $64,000 annually, with additional costs for marketing and signs, according to the feasibility study.

The city likely will pursue Measure M funds, which pay for improvements to freeways, streets and transit systems in Orange County. About 90% of the cost could be covered by that, and the rest could come from revenue streams like parking meters, Wisneski said.