Friends of Elysian Park say “No Gondola!”

Friends of Elysian Park oppose plans to build an aerial tramway between Union Station and Dodger Stadium.  

It’s intrusive. The gondola would run through Elysian Park’s Radio Hill, LA State Historic Park, and Chinatown. Picture 13-story support towers blocking your view of the LA skyline. Imagine the rattle and hum of machinery at a birthday party. Consider 42 gondola cars creaking past as you nap among the trees.

No Dodger Stadium mall. Billionaire Frank McCourt wants to build a luxury entertainment development at Dodger Stadium, and the Los Angeles Aerial Rapid Transit (LA ART) gondola is McCourt’s first move. Los Angeles has world-class shopping and entertainment–we don’t need a mall in Elysian Park.

Traffic. Proponents claim the gondola would cut down on traffic, but a traffic study from the UCLA Mobility Lab found that the tramway would lead to no more than a 1% decrease in traffic and carry far fewer passengers than estimated in the sales pitch.

FoEP supports other alternatives to driving, like bike lanes, shaded sidewalks, Metro Bike Share, e-scooters, and more free Dodger Express shuttles between Union Station and Dodger Stadium. The gondola is not the best (or only) solution to reducing traffic. 

Our committee has shared these views in letters to LA Metro & LA ART and at public comment sessions. We will keep fighting to protect and enhance Elysian Park’s incredible beauty for future generations. 

For more info on why this gondola plan is misleading and problematic, check out Stop The Gondola.

If you agree this gondola has no place in Elysian Park and want to make your voice heard, contact your City Council rep!