Warner Bros plans $100 mn cable car to ferry tourists to Hollywood sign

Warner Bros has announced plans for a $100 million cable car to take tourists from its studio lot to the iconic Hollywood sign, an area increasingly choked by tourist traffic.

The company, one of Tinseltown's "Big Six" film distributors, told city officials on Monday it would put up the entire funding for the "Hollywood Skyway." The six-minute ride would extend more than a mile (1.6 km) from Warner's base in Burbank up Mount Lee to a visitor centre near the sign, with pathways to a viewing area, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The iconic studio behind "Casablanca" and "Gone with the Wind" didn't respond to AFP's request for comment but circulated a statement saying the project would "reduce street congestion, improve safety, and ease neighbourhood frustrations." "Given our close proximity to the north side of the Hollywood sign, we believe we offer a solution that has the least impact on the environment -- protecting and preserving (nearby) Griffith Park -- and the surrounding residential neighbourhoods," the company added.