Santa Barbara Leaders Hear About Travel Impacts of 2028 L.A. Olympic Games | Local Information

The 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games and Paralympic Games received’t have venues in Santa Barbara County, however the area will nonetheless really feel the impacts of the huge occasion. 

Local elected officers have been briefed Thursday on the Southern California Association of Governments’ plans to successfully transfer passengers and freight via the area in the course of the summer time video games. 

“The Olympics is one of the things that keeps me up at night,” SCAG Executive Director Kome Ajise instructed the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments board, which incorporates mayors, council members and county supervisors. 

“We need to figure out how to engage communities in carrying on their lives while we have 15 million more people in our communities trying to get to the games.”

The 1984 Olympic Games hosted in Los Angeles and the upcoming occasions are “totally different animals,” Ajise stated. 

L.A. hosts the Olympic Games from July 14 to July 30, 2028, after which the Paralympic Games from Aug. 15 to Aug. 27.

It’s a much bigger and extra advanced endeavor than earlier than, with 4 occasions as many occasions and an estimated 15-20 million spectators to plan round, Ajise stated. 

“This is the largest peacetime gathering of humanity in any one place in one time in the history of humanity, so it’s an event to be mindful of,” Ajise stated. “However, it’s going to come and go; what does it leave in its wake.” 

Santa Barbara County Supervisor Bob Nelson requested in regards to the native affect from the Games, and Ajise famous that there might be spectators coming from everywhere in the world and everywhere in the nation. 

“People in the U.S. finally have a chance to go to the games who may not have been able to go to Paris, for example. They will not all stay in L.A., they’re looking for beautiful places to stay at,” he stated. 

Communities that don’t have a venue can create competition villages, or neighborhood hubs, with meals and music for a extra social expertise than watching the occasions broadcast at dwelling, Ajise stated. 

These hubs are typically operated with public-private partnerships, and cities typically use their public areas, he added. 

Regional Travel Demand & Restrictions

SCAG is planning for journey demand in the course of the video games and can assist cities create neighborhood hubs to distribute gatherings throughout the area. Paris did this effectively, Ajise stated, so folks felt like they have been a part of the video games. 

Caltrans will handle a video games route community, a phase of freeway and metropolis road techniques designated for athletes, officers and dignitaries, that “won’t be available for the rest of us to drive on,” Ajise stated. 

“I have every assurance that the athletes are going to be fantastic, there’s no question about that. The rest of the world will see some great things on TV,” he stated.

“What I am really concerned about… are we able to move people, are we able to sustain the activities in our region to the level that it needs to be while the games are going on? Or do we end up with a situation where things are just jammed up?” 

SBCAG Executive Director Marjie Kirn stated her takeaways have been that there received’t be any parking at venues, “so alternative transportation is going to be a must”; the designated street community will “interesting” to see in motion; and there might be a giant demand for buses and bus drivers. 

Ajise stated plans name for including about 2,600-2,700 buses and workers along with the prevailing Metro fleet of about 3,000 within the Southern California space. 

Local Plans

Nelson stated he needs to launch a Santa Barbara County Olympic Committee in 2026. It’s a chance to construct neighborhood and have fun athletics and sports activities, he stated. 

Solvang Mayor David Brown stated the town has already inquired about internet hosting among the attendees. 

“Solvang is known as the Danish capital of America, so we made some outreach to our Denmark friends, and will hopefully host them as well,” he stated. 

Some cities are inviting L.A.-area consulate workers for excursions, to showcase internet hosting or different alternatives for the Olympic Games, Ajise stated.  

“I’m excited about the games in a way I wasn’t before,” county Supervisor Joan Hartmann stated after Ajise’s presentation. 

In the 1984 Olympic Games, Lake Casitas in Ventura County was used for canoeing and rowing, and UC Santa Barbara hosted an Olympic village for some athletes. 

Lake Casitas shouldn’t be listed as a venue for the 2028 Olympic Games.

Most of the 2028 venues are clustered in Los Angeles County and Orange County. No new everlasting venues are being constructed for these video games, based on LA28.