Route 9 of the Big Blue Bus has been detoured after the Department of Transportation removed a "buses exempt" sign at Sunset Boulevard and Marquez Avenue, forcing the bus line to not make its usual left turn onto Sunset Boulevard.
BBB spokesperson Suja Lowenthal said that the BBB was not informed of the sign removal, forcing the Santa Monica bus company to scramble together a detour and alternative route.
Despite a report in the Palisades Patch regarding a fatal motorcycle accident at the site, Lowenthal said that the detour was "not in response to any particular incident or accident."
"We've been looking to make a change for some time for our drivers to have a proper layover," she said.
Lowenthal also cited frequent tardiness of the bus route as a reason for trying to find a change.
The BBB presented the alternate course for Route 9, but it has yet to be approved by the DOT, Lowenthal said.
"We're waiting just like everybody else," she said about the approval process. "The longer the DOT takes, the longer we have to run this detour."
Because the detour, there will be no service to stops on:
• Westbound Sunset at Marquez (Baylor)
• Westbound Sunset at Livorno Drive
• Westbound Sunset at Arno Way
• Westbound Sunset at Salerno Drive
