Santa Monica to Begin Shuttle Bus Service to Pier

Relaxing at the Santa Monica Pier is about to become less frustrating.

Reacting to an increase in traffic around the pier, Santa Monica Mayor Pam O’Connor and other city officials are set to introduce a free pier/beach shuttle program today that will provide an alternative parking location for weekend visitors.

“We wanted to create convenient and easy access to parking for people visiting the Santa Monica Pier,” O’Connor said.

During the summer weekends, as many as 20,000 people a day visit the pier, city officials said. And traffic along Colorado Boulevard and Ocean Avenue can sometimes come to a standstill.

The shuttle will pick up visitors from a parking lot at 2030 Barnard Way and drop them off at the pier. The free bus makes trips between the two stops every 10 minutes, and with proof of a shuttle ride, the $7 cost for parking is reduced to $5, said spokeswoman Paula Thornton.

The Appian Way parking lot adjacent to the pier has 286 spaces, but the Barnard Way parking lot provides an additional 1,526 spaces. To lead people to the alternative lot, the city has installed new signs by the Santa Monica Freeway, Thornton said.

The shuttle, which will run through Sept. 7, will operate Fridays from 6 p.m. to midnight, Saturdays from noon to midnight and Sundays from noon to 10 p.m. Beginning July 3, the shuttle also will run on Thursdays from 6 p.m. to midnight.