Los Angeles is cracking down on Hollywood bus tours in an attempt to regulate traffic, said The Hollywood Reporter. “A new California law, amplified by L.A. City Council rules, bans loudspeakers on the buses and restrict access to narrow streets where they routinely clog traffic,” the publication reported. The rules came into effect on January 1.
The regulation was lobbied for by the Hollywood Hills Neighborhood Council, where “most Hollywood tours originate”, and which has “25 million visitors annually, more than 1 million of whom board a tour bus”, the publication said. The move is also aimed at guarding against burglaries.
The areas that are likely to be freed from traffic include streets in Hollywood Hills, Beverly Hills Beverly Hills Post Office area, Sunset Plaza and Bel-Air.
Among the complaints aimed at the tour buses: they blare commentary while driving through neighbourhoods, allow passengers to disembark and stand in front of homes, and provide commentary on people living there.
A Hollywood Hills resident quoted in the story spoke about being woken up at 2am by two teenagers who wanted to know if Keanu Reeves was home, since they had been told that he lived there.