Does Acadia National Park need more than the Island Explorer to move visitors around?/NPS
Zion National Park has a shuttle that works on a mandatory basis during the high season. Bryce Canyon National Park works with an optional shuttle, as does Glacier Nationa Park. Acadia National Park long has seen the Island Explorer help move people around the park, but is there a better option?
That's the question Acadia officials are studying, and they've scheduled some meetings to gain public input. The purpose of the transportation plan is to determine ways to provide safe and efficient transportation for visitors while ensuring the protection of park resources and values, park officials note. The meetings coming up in June and July are designed to get feedback on issues related to traffic, parking, and all modes of transportation in the park.
Transportation issues at Acadia are diverse and complex. Visitors travel to and within the park by private vehicle, tour bus, bicycle, ferry, Island Explorer bus, and other modes. A park-wide transportation plan is needed to determine ways to improve safety, reduce congestion and crowding, avoid impacts to park resources, and provide visitors with a high-quality experience. Using input from the public and ongoing social science research, the park will identify a range of transportation and visitor-use management strategies.
'The NPS relies heavily on public involvement to help guide the stewardship of Acadia National Park, and we look forward to hearing the public's concerns and ideas related to transportation in the park,' Superintendent Sheridan Steele said.
Public meetings to discuss the transportation plan and environmental impact statement are scheduled for:
* Wednesday, June 3
* Thursday, July 30
They'll be held from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Peninsula School (gymnasium) at 71 Main Street (Route 186) in Prospect Harbor, Maine
* Thursday, June 4
* Wednesday, July 29
They'll be held from from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Mount Desert Island High School (library) at 1081 Eagle Lake Road (Route 233) in Bar Harbor, Maine
Conversations with visitors and other stakeholders will continue throughout the planning period, which runs to August 3. For more information about the transportation plan and environmental impact statement, please visit this website, or call John Kelly, Park Planner, at 207-288-8703.
Comments
Might an occasional car-free Saturday morning be part of Acadia National Park's transportation plan of the future? The one this past Saturday seemed to be a hit, letting visitors bike, walk and run the Park Loop Road, or up the Cadillac Mountain Road, without having to watch out for cars. There's another car-free Saturday morning coming up in September, as part of a pilot project to develop the overall transportation plan and ease the congestion. Read more about ways to have a car-free - and carefree - experience in Acadia in our recent blog post: www.acadiaonmymind.com/2015/05/footloose-and-fancy-free-car-free-and-car...
Speed limit 25 throughout park loop. Speed limit on Cadillac enforced for bicycles descending. Limit big bus trips on Cadillac.