Shuttle Buses

The nation's first airport shuttle bus fleet powered by clean-burning liquefied natural gas began operating Monday at Los Angeles International Airport. Airport officials have taken delivery of the first three of 14 new LNG-powered shuttle buses. The rest of the fleet will be delivered over the next couple of months. The buses will transport passengers between airport parking lots and the airline terminals.

A ride on the West Covina Corridor Shuttle, which is now free, will cost 25 cents beginning Jan. 3. The fare was approved by the City Council. The shuttle runs along a 5-mile route between the civic center and the Eastland Shopping Center. The fares will bring in between $15,000 and $18,000 a year, helping to offset the more than $275,000 needed to operate the system, said Human Service Director Gus Salazar. Now, funds for the system come entirely from county sales taxes, he said.

A celebration of the artistic talent of local residents begins today at the 3rd annual Echo Park Artists Festival. Shuttle buses will provide free transportation to about 25 studios and galleries from noon to 5 p.m. Maps for self-guided tours will be available. The main festival site, at Sunset Boulevard and Lemoyne Street, will feature jazz singers, flamenco dancers and theater troupes. The El Centro del Pueblo at 1157 Lemoyne Ave. will host an exhibit of art by students from local schools.

Commuters who use a San Francisco light-rail line were facing delays after an accident on the system's F line. Officials say six people were injured in an accident involving two San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency trains and an SUV on San Francisco's busy Market Street around 5:45 p.m. Monday. Monday's crash comes after 47 people were hurt in a crash involving two Muni trains on July 18. None of the injuries appeared serious, but Muni spokesman Judson True said the driver of one of the trains was taken to the hospital for treatment of what appeared to be non-life-threatening injuries.

Trolley service in downtown San Diego was suspended for about 45 minutes Thursday morning when an underground power cable was accidentally severed by construction workers, officials said. About 8:50 a.m. a Knox Electric construction crew digging at B and India streets hit one of the underground cables to the trolley station at Kettner Boulevard and A Street, said Langley Powell, president of San Diego Trolley Inc.

The Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday unanimously and without discussion extended for six months an ordinance requiring developers of buildings in bustling Warner Center to reduce the traffic that their projects add to streets. Councilwoman Joy Picus, whose district includes Warner Center, won approval of the measure in March, 1988. It requires builders to pay an unspecified fee that will finance street widenings, shuttle buses and other traffic improvements in Warner Center.

Department of Motor Vehicles investigators cracked down Wednesday on drivers who use illegally obtained or phony placards to park in Los Angeles International Airport spaces reserved for the disabled. "They confiscated about 24 placards," said Sgt. Lou Duran of the Department of Airports Police. "Unfortunately, quite a few of them were airline employees." Those who were cited face a $1,000 fine or six months in jail, he said.

The grand opening of Solstice Canyon Park in the Santa Monica Mountains will be Sunday, to correspond closely with the summer solstice. The event will consist of self-guided walks and picnicking from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., a grand opening ceremony at 1 p.m. and guided hikes throughout the afternoon until 5 p.m. Shuttle buses will run from the Malibu Civic Center parking lot every 20 minutes from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Private vehicles will not be allowed in the canyon.

Weekend and holiday shuttle bus service will be begin in Dana Point Harbor at 10 a.m. Saturday. The new 25-passenger shuttle buses will make 13 stops, including Dana Hills High School, the Dana Strand Beach parking area, Mariner's Village, the Dana Point Wharf and the Orange County Marine Institute. Passengers can ride all day for $1. Part of their pass can be used as a 50-cent discount on purchases from participating merchants, said Eugene Jerry, president of the Dana Point Harbor Assn.

Shuttle buses are offering free rides between the Santa Monica business district and the MGM Plaza/Water Gardens area and between downtown and the Main Street restaurant and shopping district. Designed to reduce the hassle of traffic and parking for lunchtime strollers and diners, the east-west line of the Tide Shuttle will serve 10 stops at 20-minute intervals from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. every weekday.