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k-man
Gym climber
SCruz
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 13, 2016 - 09:00am PT
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My fear is that they'll build a multi-story parking garage at Taft Toe, and restrict all access to downtown from there. But if you consider it, biking from there would be a great option.
Building lots over by Crane Flat, Badger (where is that again?), and somewhere down the Merced are other options. But centralizing a large lot in the Valley somewhere sure makes good sense--if it wasn't such a sensitive area in a National Park.
Sure, the parking is only terrible on some weekends, but in general, the Valley has a big traffic problem.
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Jun 13, 2016 - 09:01am PT
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Werner brings up an important, and essential point. As a question:
"Should the facilities provided by the NPS in Yosemite be designed to accommodate 'peak' visitation"
Doing so means that most of the time those facilities are underutilized, and by nature, more expensive.
The idea of providing access to everyone, anytime has a price attached to it, reflected in the entry cost, which is already prohibitive (when added to the cost of traveling to the Valley) of many citizens who support the NPS through their taxes.
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c wilmot
climber
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Jun 13, 2016 - 10:57am PT
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the NPS is mandated by the ADA to make the park as accessible as possible within their broader mission of wilderness conservation
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Jun 13, 2016 - 11:17am PT
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^^^^ Is that why they let in Harleys with unrestricted exhausts?
Don't want to discriminate against the developmentally challenged, do we?
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JEleazarian
Trad climber
Fresno CA
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Jun 13, 2016 - 11:22am PT
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The NPS must administer the park under conflicting directions from various pieces of legislation. Some require preservation, some require accommodation. The above-normal precipitation this year, following so many consecutive drought years, accounts for much, but not all, of the increased visits this spring. Ed and Werner are right -- the peak visitations happen in a small fraction of days, even in a heavy visitation season like this one. To what extent do we try to accommodate the "1000 day flood" of visitors, rather than just leave those who choose to come when others do to the invevitable crowds?
I must add, though, that closing the Lodge parking lot is just a tiny part of the problem. The elimination of the River campgrounds without replacement adds to day use traffic. The additional parking at old Camp 6 may or may not have replaced the parking places taken from the southwest side of the Village, not to mention Yosemite Falls, the Four-Mile Trail, and ares on the eastern end of the Valley such as Happy Isles, Mirror Lake and Indian Caves.
I will be interested in seeing how the reservation system works. I can make only one prediciton for whatever system the NPS comes up with -- a large number of people won't like it.
John
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Mark Not-circlehead
climber
Martinez, CA
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Jun 23, 2016 - 12:19pm PT
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The solution lies outside the park.....and is relatively simple
NPS needs to purchase land outside the park, on each entrance highway (120, 140, 41). Build large parking lots, and have shuttle service into the valley for day use. The busses will need rear garages for bikes, pads, backpacks and the like (Europe has busses like these, that run on Fuel Cells. This is a good option as the routes are fixed distances).
Busses need to run late, and cost a few bucks less than the standard entrance fee.
The car entrance fee needs to be increased significantly, with exceptions for seniors, disabled, etc.
NPS can even post security at these large parking areas. Having them outside the park allows NPS to avoid all the Park regulations, and the Park can deal with the respective counties on land use regulations (much simpler)
If they do it today, it will be much cheaper than in the future. And its basically an inevitability that it will be required.
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