Annnddd…another one – Film shoot for Weds at Bixby

At least this one is making a donation to the Mid-Coast Fire Brigade for our troubles, but still…

Good morning!

I am reaching out to all of you to advise of an upcoming TV commercial filming project on Hwy 1 / Bixby Bridge.
We have been working closely with the California Film Commission, the Monterey County Film Commission, CalTrans,The California Highway Patrol, the County of Monterey, The Monterey County Sheriffs Department, and the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary on obtaining all the needed permits for a one day shoot on October 3rd at the Bixby Bridge.
I have attached a notification form below that details the specifics of the project, but basically it will be a single afternoon of filming on October 3rd.
We will have 4 CHP officers on scene to assist with safety and limited duration traffic control.
There will be filming of a motorcycle driving across the bridge from a camera car, and from static camera positions both on Hwy 1 and on Old Coast Road. There will also be a couple shots with a small drone (FAA licensed and not flying over the water). The craft is quite small and quiet.
There will be a small section of the south side of Old Coast Road just to the east of Hwy 1 posted for no parking during the shoot.
We are very sensitive to, and aware of the very busy nature of the location and will insure that delays are kept to a minimum and that residents and visitors will be able to get into the area with delays not exceeding 3-5 minutes at a time. And since school buses come through that area in the afternoon we will always release traffic when we see a school bus approaching.
Our main base camp and parking area will be on private property off site – south of the bridge – so as to minimize impact on the immediate area.
In consideration of the project, and as a gesture to the community, we are going to be making a donation to the Mid-Coast Fire Brigade.
Thank you for your understanding – we hope to make our short time at the Bixby Bridge a smooth experience for all!
all the best,

10 thoughts on “Annnddd…another one – Film shoot for Weds at Bixby”

  2. It’s not the inconvenience for that particular day at Bixby most locals are concerned and disgruntled about. It’s the fact that they continue to promote, advertise, exploit an area for more people to see and visit in the future. Bixby has become a bucket list spot that doesn’t have the infrastructure and parking to handle and accommodate what is happening there. Each week it seems to get worse and worse. It has become a huge public safety issue not to mention a major access issue for the residents of Bixby Canyon and drivers on highway one passing through the area. Remember this past Labor Day weekend? Traffic backed up for miles with it taking up to an hour to get through to the south side of Bixby Bridge. There was barely any law enforcement to be found but seems to be plenty available to assist film crews? I think we can all agree that Bixby has become one of the biggest issues in Big Sur with difficult solutions. To start, common sense would be to stop issuing permits to film there!!!
    I guess when you don’t live here and see the rapid changes happening to places like Bixby you either don’t care or just don’t get it. Out of sight out of mind!

  5. Agree wholeheartedly with Marcus comments. Big part of solving the recurring problem on this site would be to have money to insure enough law enforcement for safety issues whenever required by volume of traffic (& tourist misbehavior) as well as film & other events. Been so many , that they could probably just photo-shop and skip the on-site altogether. Perhaps each shoot could pay a percentage/ or set daily fee that would go solely to enforcement on Hwy One. What organizations/ entities get the big bucks for these shoots ? Who would initiate a requirement for set percentage/fee of all Hwy One dependent activities like bike races/ ads etc to a permanent law enforcement fund- all year .
    Don’t know how to address the continuing advertisement of the site … limiting permits is a good idea ..how does that get discussed and with whom? It is pretty miserable for the travelers as well … I am hearing it from them ..to whom should they be sending their comments on traffic matters?
    If the highest priority of our LCP is the enjoyment of scenic driving on this extraordinary coastline, the powers that be such as Coastal Commission have a responsibility to implement not only safety but an experience worthy of the beauty for visitors.

  7. In response to Barbara’s “to whom should they be sending their comments on traffic matters?” comment, CalTrans, San Luis Obispo office, hired someone to distribute a survey on postage paid post cards placed on windshields of vehicles parked along Hwy 1 this week. The questions are all aimed at tourists, but the person dispersing the cards entered the school parking lot and put them on all of the school staff vehicles. The card suggests going to https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BigSurParking to give more input than the 10 questions on the card. Or you can write them at Ca DOT, attn: Planning, 50 Higuera St, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401

  10. Terrible situation at Bixby today with the film crews. I was at a complete stop for 5 minutes as people backed on to highway one as others waited for parking spots to open up, absolutely swarming with tourist as 3 CHP officers looked on joking and laughing other than attempting to control the chaos. South of the bridge a large group on foot in the road tripping and stumbling onto the highway attempting to climb the dirt berm to see what was going on. All very comical in a frustrating way, and it was a rainy day in october.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.