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Shuttling to Acadia

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By Kurt Repanshek - February 1st, 2007

    There aren't that many parks that have shuttle systems in place. The one at Zion National Park gets the most attention because, I believe, it was the first to arrive in the national park system, debuting back in 2000.
    There are others -- one at Bryce Canyon, although it's optional, and one at Acadia, which also is optional. And while the Grand Canyon has a nice shuttle system once you arrive at the South Rim, so far dollars and consensus remain far apart when talk turns to a mass transit system that might solve the annual summer nightmare of trying to drive, and park, your own rig on the Rim.
    But more and more communities are "getting it" when talk turns to mass transit. Earlier this year the folks in Visalia, California, opted to spend $2 million or more dollars on buses to shuttle visitors from their community 55 miles to Sequoia National Park. Their thought? Do something to reduce traffic and congestion and parking woes.
    Back in Maine, the folks around Acadia have been so thrilled with their propane-powered Island Explorer shuttle bus system that they're aiming to build a transportation hub just off Mount Desert Island that, hopefully, will ease traffic from day trippers visiting the park.

    The plan calls for the "Acadia Gateway Center" to be built near Trenton, just west of the Route 3 bridge that crosses the Mount Desert Narrows and lands you on the island. As currently envisioned, Friends of Acadia would purchase 369 acres near Trenton and sell a big chunk of that land to the state of Maine, which would then construct the transportation hub with a mix of state and federal dollars.
    The first phase of the project would cost about $12 million, and $7 million of that money already is in hand, according to John Kelly, Acadia's park planner. That phase, he tells me, would involve site work, building the entrance road and a bus maintenance facility, and providing parking for about 550 cars.
    If things go as planned, ground-breaking could take place during the summer or fall of 2008.
    Phase II, meanwhile, carries a $10 million cost and would involve an inter-modal transportation facility and space for chamber of commerce offices and a park welcome center.
    Currently, the Island Explorer fleet counts 29 buses, and Kelly says that currently there are no plans to increase that number. There also are no plans to make use of the buses mandatory.
    "We're not at the point of making it a requirement, but it is an option down the road," he says.
    The project recently passed a significant milestone when NPS and Federal Transit Administration officials determined the project would not create a significant environmental impact.
    Located just about 13 miles from downtown Bar Harbor, this transportation hub seems well-located to help ease traffic and congestion on Mount Desert Island yet not force park day trippers to endure a long ride to their destination.

Comments

Submitted by admin on February 2, 2007 - 1:18pm.
Having shuttle transportation in the park, doesn't really address the issue of overcrowding at some popular parks. It addresses some issues with traffic and parking only. Can't you foresee the day when the line for the shuttle to go to the South Rim has a sign that says, "The wait from this point is 60 minutes". Some visitors, those who've just come from Disneyland or Universal Studios will fall right into the 'more lines and shuttles' to see things mode. They'll fall right into a park that is just another overcrowded tourist attraction through which the visitor is herded with the rest, takes a few snaps and leaves. A reservation system would allow the avid park visitor the freedom and flexibility of his own vehicle and more relative solitude to commune with nature. The only tradeoff I see is that some planning would need to be done to visit the really popular parks. (But who doesn't do that anyway?).

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on February 2, 2007 - 1:25pm.
A reservation system would be a good tool, though I don't think the agencies have the stomach for it just yet. But keeping in mind what's going on with the climate, a combination of reservations and shuttles I think would be even better.

Submitted by admin on February 2, 2007 - 5:43pm.
It's true that the parks face rampant overcrowding issues - which only breed trouble. But instead of a cookie-cutter approach to the problem, a system-wide combination of reservations and shuttles is what's needed. Each park should be evaluated individually. For instance, shuttles in Zion and Denali make sense because there's essentially only one road, and visitors tend to be concentrated along that corridor. But in Great Smokies, on the other hand, people tend to congregate along two roadways - Newfound Gap Rd, going over the TN/NC state line, and Little River Rd, going from Gatlinburg and on to Cades Cove. If I'm in the Cove trying to get back to my hotel in Cherokee, shuttles would be a pain. But if there’s a reservation system in place, not only will the Cove be less crowded, but I can move at my own pace, not worrying about schedules. In sort, let's use shuttles in parks where people use the one 'main road', and reservations where people spread out over a greater distance.

Submitted by admin on February 9, 2007 - 8:58am.
why do you people sit here and talk about a bus system is it the whole ,"my tax moneys going to this". if your on a computer you probobly have a car, what about people that dont or cant spare the money.all of middle america is strapped for cash now and days and everyone could yous a nice break.think about us for example i came here to learn the opening date to the shuttle so my school could take the new shuttle to sequoia national park but all i see is bickering.be it sophisticated or not its just intelligent argueing.what about people like us the people that dont have a voice to speak out with.but i do have to admit i only took a glance at your overall posts.and dont let this offend you.its nothing more than another view from the outside on this whole topic.have a nice day

Submitted by admin on February 9, 2007 - 10:58am.
joshua, I grew up a poor boy in Ohio; right now, I don't even own a car (though by choice). My first trip to Yellowstone was almost dumb luck and required me to have a job there (and a family that spent more money than it could afford just to get me to my job). So, I hear you. At the same time, when you find yourself caring deeply about something, you have to talk about it. And, like it or not, often, we aren't going to agree, especially the more we care. I find myself engaged in this talk because I care deeply. Maybe, it doesn't get you the information you need for your school to go to Sequoia, but it's all good, right? If I didn't have talk, philosophy, argument, and bickering, what would a poor boy like me have had to look forward to? I think you talk about something very important; how people like you don't have a voice. I think people talk here because they also feel like they don't have a voice. joshua, what can we do to give each other a voice? Any ideas?

Submitted by admin on February 9, 2007 - 1:53pm.
Jim, I deeply admire your compassion shared with joshua.

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