Warner Bros. proposes aerial tram to famous sign

LOS ANGELES — It is to Hollywood what the Eiffel Tower is to Paris and the Empire State Building is to New York.

The ultimate selfie spot. The Hollywood sign.

However, unlike those two popular landmarks, visitor access is an issue. The neighbours who live closest to the sign have complained loudly about tourists invading their spaces, and have worked with city officials to make parking nearest the Hollywood sign viewing areas off-limits to non-residents without permits on weekends and holidays. They’ve even put up signs encouraging tourists to turn away.

This week, the movie studio Warner Bros. proposed a better way — an aerial tram that would bring tourists from the studio lot to a viewing area.

The “Hollywood Skyway” would “reduce street congestion, improve safety, and ease neighborhood frustrations,” the studio said. “Given our close proximity to the north side of the Hollywood sign, we believe we offer a solution that has the least impact on the environment— protecting and preserving Griffith Park — and the surrounding residential neighbourhoods.”

The Los Angeles Times estimated the cost of the project at $100 million.

The tramway from Warner Bros. would be a six-minute ride up to the back of Mount Lee, one of the main viewing areas for the sign, to a new visitor centre.

The proposal would have to be considered by the city of Los Angeles and the parks departments.

Chris Baumgart, the chair of the Hollywood Sign Trust, which oversees the care of the Hollywood Sign, said that Warner Bros. will face a “long road of vetting,” to get the project approved.