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steelmnkey
climber
Vision man...ya gotta have vision...
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Topic Author's Original Post - Dec 9, 2008 - 10:48pm PT
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I thought this was sort of ironic, given the discussion is still going on nearly 40 years later.
From the Basecamp section of Climbing Magazine #3, September 1970:
"The Park Service has acted to combat the overcrowding, smog, and traffic problems in Yosemite Valley by closing the eastern end to private auto traffic on July 9. This ban affects only the areas east of the main campgrounds such as Mirror Lake, Indian Cafes, and Happy Isles, but this is the first step toward a complete ban on private auto traffic in the Valley. The Park Service master plan would create a new center for parking, camping, merchandising and park maintenance facilities at Big Meadows, outsidethe Valley, three miles from the Arch Rock entrance. From there, visitors would enter the Valley only by some form of "quiet, inexpensive public transit". The program, however, still must undergo a series of public hearings before final adoption. It would take ten years and at least $50,000,000 to complete."
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Captain...or Skully
Social climber
Where are YOU from?
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If you 'discuss' something long enough, ya never have to 'do' anything....
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Jaybro
Social climber
wuz real!
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They just about have it licked.
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Melissa
Gym climber
berkeley, ca
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Mother Nature sure gave the main entrance at 140 idea the finger.
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Jaybro
Social climber
wuz real!
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I dunno, it had it's time a few years back, in a Gate of Moria kind of way...
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Captain...or Skully
Social climber
Where are YOU from?
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Dec 10, 2008 - 12:45am PT
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Stupid Road monkeys don't get it. I can talk, I was one of 'em.
Kewitt Pacific royally HOSED the 140.
Anything for Winnebagos, though.They'll buy something.
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JLP
Social climber
The internet
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Dec 10, 2008 - 12:58am PT
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Some simple math in my head figures the sum total of parking spaces occupied in the Valley, plus the footprint of a transit station capable of turning over 1000's of people per hour, divided by the width of available space in the corridor downstream Merced - I'm thinking it looks like a 10 mile long clusterf*#k of traffic and parking lot rage, or a real high parking ramp. I wonder if anyone has drawn some pictures.
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troutboy
Trad climber
Newark, DE
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Dec 10, 2008 - 09:55am PT
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Greg, quoting a "Climbing" article:
The Park Service master plan would create a new center for parking, camping, merchandising and park maintenance facilities at Big Meadows, outsidethe Valley, three miles from the Arch Rock entrance.
This was actaully a fairly common management plan among the National Parks in the 1970s. When I worked at Mammoth Cave NP in the late 70's we had the same issues and the same long-range plan - move the Visitor Center and services from where they were (right on top of the cave) to nearby Cave City or Park City.
Every day of the summer, from 0700 to 1200 we did nothing but park cars. The lots would fill, then we would park them on the grass surrounding the VC. This was great fun in August when it reached over 90 almost every day, often over 100 with 90-100 % humidity.
But the plan to move to VC out of the Park (and supposedly from atop the cave) was a bust because, guess what ? The cave was so friggin big it extended all the way to Park City and Cave City (about 8 miles as the crow flies) and a lot farther than that.
So, the lack of funds, the fact that really there was nowhere to build the new VC that would not be on top of the cave, or at least drainage into the cave, unless you moved it about 30 miles), and a steady decrease in traffic over the next 10 years scuttled the plan.
The cave, BTW is now about 360 miles of mapped passage. And more gets added every month.
TS
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mastadon
Trad climber
Tahoe
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Dec 10, 2008 - 11:40am PT
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Labor Day, 2008
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Captain...or Skully
Social climber
Where are YOU from?
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Dec 10, 2008 - 11:41am PT
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Man, that makes me feel right at home........
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Dr. Rock
Ice climber
http://tinyurl.com/4oa5br
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Dec 10, 2008 - 03:20pm PT
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Nice Photoshop, dude!
Can we get an exploding gas tanker in there somewhere?
And howabout a roadside panhandler?
Gee thank!
Hmmm, never Kayaked the Merced in September because the river is bone dry by then.
2008 must have been a big water year?
Either that or someone is jerkin me chain again.
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the Fet
climber
Tu-Tok-A-Nu-La
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Jun 17, 2016 - 07:21am PT
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The park service's new plan is to slowly make driving a car in the valley so inconvenient as to drive people onto the shuttle busses.
They closed one lane of traffic on southside drive to all but busses. Was it last year? And traffic for cars got about 3 times worse. Since you have double the cars in one lane now and when you double traffic things slow down. It can take an hour or more to drive a few miles. You can literally walk faster than the cars move.
Then they don't ticket anyone for driving in the bus lane. They just wave them back into the car lane... sometimes. I was getting pissed because lots of selfish people were doing this. Not only did they pass and then cut in line, they cause more traffic because they had to merge back in, and they blocked the road for busses so they had to go slow too. So lame. They had bike cops just waving people back into the car lane. I eventually started blocking both lanes with my truck. And some people would still drive onto the dirt to get around me.
At least the shuttle busses go the El Cap meadow now. But not beyond. And their stops are limited. they should have a bell to ring so they could stop at all the climber pull outs. I'm going to have to bring bikes now.
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dikhed
climber
State of fugue and disbelief
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Jun 17, 2016 - 07:27am PT
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Just imagine what it would be like if they actually started pulling people over and giving them tickets.
And as far as people's behavior in traffic why would it be any different in the valley than it is on any other freeway or road, the whole f*#k you it's all about me thing
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Ed H
Trad climber
Santa Rosa, CA
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Jun 17, 2016 - 08:42am PT
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I learned my lesson a couple of years ago. Took us an hour plus to get from El Cap meadow to Curry Village. I bring my bike now - no parking or traffic hassles - a real game changer.
The loop road is basically a no fly zone from 3 pm to 7 pm - maybe even noon to 8 pm on busy weekends.
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hellroaring
Trad climber
San Francisco
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Jun 17, 2016 - 09:05am PT
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How about a Crtical Mass style bike ride in the valley over the 4th? Getting everybody visiting on a bike would be pretty cool I think...
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Jun 17, 2016 - 09:07am PT
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Why do people go there on weekends any more, so they can feel like they never left LA?
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the Fet
climber
Tu-Tok-A-Nu-La
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Jun 17, 2016 - 11:13am PT
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I don't complain about crowds in the valley because, it's fvckin Yosemite valley. One of the most spectacular places on Earth, a few hours from airports and major population centers, easily accessible with a few hours drive. I'd be disappointed in humanity if it wasn't crowded. There's always winter where you can still climb much of the time and it's dead.
I'm always kinda amazed when a lifelong californian has never been there.
I just like to complain about the mismanagement. It gets more crowded every year, yet they remove or at least don't replace parking spots, campgrounds, bathrooms, etc.
I would imagine they closed one lane for emergency access. Which makes total sense. But they should realize when they did that they made it almost inaccessible by car for much of them time, so they should beef up shuttle service to make it easy to get anywhere in the valley by shuttle, and really enforce the lane closure, not just allow the people who break the rules to get off scott free and make it worse for everyone else.
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Jun 17, 2016 - 11:33am PT
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People constantly want to visit or move to special places and then, once there, pull up the drawbridge to bar everyone else. Anyone who thinks tha fees for National Parks are high should go to Disneyland or ski in Aspen.
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chill
climber
The fat part of the bell-curve
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Jun 17, 2016 - 11:39am PT
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In the immortal words of Yogi Berra: no one goes there anymore, it's too crowded.
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Ken M
Mountain climber
Los Angeles, Ca
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Jun 17, 2016 - 12:24pm PT
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I don't understand why a process does not go into place, to require all those staying indoors, and all day-use visitors, to park off-site, and take shuttles in.
Can be phased in, would speed up traffic, would increase capacity.
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