People who live on El Camino Real heading south into San Clemente will have an easier time getting around thanks to a recent vote from the city council.
Starting this Spring, the city council plans to begin testing its new Green Line. From March 11 to May 21, the trolley route will be in operation going primarily along El Camino Real all of the way down until San Clemente State Beach, where it will turn around and head back downtown. Two trolleys will be operating on the route in order to keep wait times to a minimum. Graphic design can be used to advertise on public transport means like this, helping subsidize the costs.
Councilmembers were presented with four options before they made their vote. Two of the options were a 26-minute inland route that would make stops at Rancho San Clemente and Marblehead, and a route that would take 23 minutes. John Lightfoot, the Economic Development Director, went over the alternatives with community members, such as having the trolley double back on the same line rather than having it go in a loop.
Lightfoot feels having the trolley double back is the better option because it gives riders a chance to return to their original destinations and allows the line to bypass some of the lesser used stops, reducing wait times. Other councilmembers felt that people living inland should also be served by the line.
