CITY HALL It was like an episode of MTV’s “Pimp My Ride” on Tuesday, when City Councilmembers spent a good chunk of the night’s meeting discussing ways to cus-tomize trolleys for the downtown area.
Councilman Bob Holbrook, a fan of classic cars, suggested adding more wood paneling, while removing the roofs of the trolleys, replacing them with surfboards to give the transit coaches the look and feel of an American Woody station wagon, popular during the 1950s in Southern California.
Others weren’t so specific, but all agreed that the current design of the five, natural gas-powered trolleys being considered for purchase needs a certain “wow” factor that will make the coaches stand out from those found in other cities, most notably San Francisco.
“If we want something distinctive, we should go get a designer,” Councilman Bobby Shriver suggested.
The only problem with going the custom design route is time, with a customized coach being subject to a series of tests to deem the vehicle road worthy and suitable for public transit, a process that can take several months, if not years, according to Stephanie Negriff, director of the Big Blue Bus, which brought a request to the council to purchase five trolleys from North American Bus Industries.
“These trolleys have already been road tested,” said Negriff, who also pointed out limitations in customization because of the location of natural gas tanks, typically found on the roofs of the trolleys, making it difficult to change that aspect of the coaches.
“One of the challenges with natural gas vehicles is that a lot of smaller vehicles have not been designed for alternative fuels yet,”Negriff said.
BBB hopes to use the trolleys, which could cost more than $2.3 million, in the downtown area and along Main Street, replacing existing Mini Blue shuttles that have exceeded their usual lifespan. The business community, including the Bayside District Corp., which is responsible for managing and marketing downtown, recommended purchasing the trolleys as a way to make downtown more unique.
“We really want a vehicle that identifies with downtown,” said Kathleen Rawson, executive director of Bayside. “We got a chance to ride around in this vehicle and we thought it was great.”
The current design includes some brass trimmings, stained-wood seats and removable windows with wood trim, Negriff said.
Councilwoman Pam O’Connor said she would like to see the incorporation of old-school elements with more modern touches to reflect the architectural stylings of the city, which has many historical buildings mixed in with cutting-edge designs.
“I don’t know if we go back to square one,” O’Connor said. “I think it makes sense to see if there are some simple things that can be done (to enhance the look and feel of the trolleys).
“It does have to have a look that is better suited for Santa Monica, and not San Francisco.”
In the end, the council decided to put the item on hold and give BBB staff time to meet with the trolley provider to see what design changes might be made before purchasing the buses.
If all goes well, BBB is considering ordering an additional 25 trolleys.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 27, 2007. Read the original PDF.