A second Hollywood sign? City report says it's worth considering to improve tourist safety, access

HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES (WPVI) -- Could Los Angeles use another Hollywood sign?

According to a city consulting firm, a duplicate sign on the San Fernando Valley side of the hills could make things safer for tourists and less congested for local residents.

The consulting firm Dixon Resources Unlimited released a report that includes a series of recommendations to improve safety, traffic and tourist access around Griffith Park and the Hollywood sign as tourism to the city increases.

Recommendations include building an aerial tram in the area and developing a shuttle service up Beachwood Canyon.

But one of its most striking suggestions is building a duplicate sign on the other side of the hills.

The idea would be to give tourists more places to take pictures of the sign and see it up close, particularly from areas that have more parking and safer access.

"The City could construct another Hollywood Sign on the north side of the park or on the LA Zoo side of the park," the report suggested. "The backdrop behind the sign would still look similar to the original if it is location on the mountain."

"This would give the City the opportunity to promote the replica sign viewpoints as more accessible locations for photos than in the residential neighborhoods south of the Park."

The report conceded that might present challenges in respecting the history of the sign.

"One downside of this strategy is that it would take away from the history of the original Hollywood Sign and Hollywoodland. For educational and historical purposes, it may make the most sense to maintain only the original sign."

Other ideas in the report include working with Google and Waze to communicate better information for visitors, add paid parking in popular tourist areas, develop a Hollywood sign visitor center and build a sign viewing platform.

City Councilman David Ryu, who requested the $120,000 report, asked city staffers to study the document and determine if any of its recommendations are feasible and should be pursued.

"The Hollywood Sign and Griffith Park are being loved to death," Ryu said. "This is a world-renowned icon, and possibly the only one without proper access to it. It's like having the Statue of Liberty without a visitor's center, viewing platform, or even a sign telling you how to get to it. It is unsustainable and unsafe."

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