A gondola, walking paths, more buses: What should LA do about Dodger Stadium traffic?

This story first appeared on The LA Local.

Traffic around Dodger Stadium is notorious.

During 81 home games a season, lines of cars inching toward the stadium lead to gridlock on local streets in Chinatown, Solano Canyon, Echo Park and Lincoln Heights. The problem is a simple numbers game — the reigning World Series champs attract an average 50,000 fans per game for a parking lot with 16,000 spaces. Most fans drive, as the 300-foot climb into Chavez Ravine from nearby streets makes walking or biking impractical. 

Fans and residents can now weigh in on a survey launched by the L.A. Department of Transportation (LADOT) to ease stadium traffic and identify ways for fans to get to the stadium without their cars. 

The survey features questions about fans’ transportation patterns and preferences, where they commute to games from around L.A. and Southern California, feelings about personal safety on the way to the stadium, and comfort using different modes of transportation. Residents who complete the survey will be entered for a chance to win a $50 gift card. 

Residents can also provide feedback in person at three events through mid-July: 

• Kick It in the Park at Echo Park Lake on June 26 from 11 a.m. to  8 p.m.
• Park-to-Park Open Streets Community Event at Wilshire Boulevard between MacArthur Park and Lafayette Park on July 10 from noon–5 p.m. 
• Community Open House at the LA Lotus Festival at Echo Park Lake on July 11 from 4–7 p.m. 

The department will publish its recommendations to ease traffic in the fall. The effort dovetails with nearby transit and pedestrian improvements as part of the Sunset Boulevard and Cesar Chavez Safety and Mobility Project. 

Why now — and where the gondola project stands

The transportation study is a direct response to the proposed 1.2-mile gondola system, officially called The Los Angeles Aerial Rapid Transit (LA ART). Spearheaded by former Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, the project was pitched as a way to reduce traffic congestion and offer free rides to ticket holders. District 1 Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez introduced a motion in 2024 directing the city to pause any action advancing the gondola project until the department completed an assessment of traffic around Dodger Stadium. The City Council approved the motion with an 11–2 vote. 

In November 2025, the L.A. City Council voted 12–1 to formally oppose the project, a motion that went unsigned by L.A. Mayor Karen Bass. Despite opposition by the council, the gondola project continues to work through the approval process from local and state agencies.

In December 2025, the L.A. Metro Board voted to recertify the project’s environmental impact report at a meeting attended by hundreds of opponents and supporters of the project. The council will wait for the completion of the transit study before taking any other formal action.

Community organizers of the Stop the Gondola coalition say the project would negatively impact parks and neighborhoods around the stadium, uprooting trees and obstructing the sky along the way. Members of the coalition also point to a UCLA Mobility Lab study which found that the project would only decrease traffic by less than 1%. Though “more research would be necessary to draw conclusions about potential use of the gondola,” according to a statement from the lab.

Separate from LADOT, Los Angeles State Historic Park published a draft of amendments to its general plan in May, which would allow the gondola to go over the park. Residents can provide feedback on those amendments through July 22 via mail and email. A virtual open house to learn more about the project is also available on its website.

Take LADOT’s survey before July 13

• Fill out the transportation study survey before July 13.
• Email any questions about the study to dodgers-stadium@lacity.org.