FTA grants keep visitors moving in National Parks

The National Park Service and US Forest Service have the honor of preserving natural and cultural areas valued by all, but they also have the responsibility to provide opportunities for visitors to enjoy and experience those areas.

Alternative fueled buses in Grand Canyon National Park (photo courtesy NPS)

And now, thanks to $24.8 million in funding by the Federal Transit Administration, visitors will have more options for getting around in America’s national parks and on other public lands. The grants--an interagency partnership of FTA with the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture--are part of the Transit in Parks program, the brainchild of former U.S. Senator Paul Sarbanes.

From hybrid buses in Alaska's Denali National Park to a passenger ferry dock for Florida's Gulf Island National Seashore, grants will fund 46 different projects in 20 different states.

Lone bus winds its way through Denali National Park (photo courtesy NPS)

FTA Administrator Peter Rogoff observed that, "By reducing traffic, Transit in Parks helps preserve the splendor of the national parks experience. The program also improves visitor mobility and ensures access to all, including persons with disabilities.”

In the late 1990s, Sen. Sarbanes recognized that our parks were suffering from an overload of vehicles. As one editorialist put it:

"The long lines of cars winding their way to some of the most beautiful sights on earth treat their occupants to the same gridlock they had traveled to escape. Some of our best loved national parks register air pollution levels rivaling those of downtown urban centers. The result is frustrated, often angry visitors and a degradation of the natural and historic resources that people come to experience."

Congress established the Paul S. Sarbanes Transit in Parks Program to halt that degradation, protect our parks and federal lands, and make these national treasures more enjoyable to everyone.

The grants we announced yesterday should go a long way toward achieving that goal.

Trolley in Lowell National Historic Park (photo courtesy NPS)

Comments

[Shelby]

I think this is great! We have put so much time and money into preserving our national parks that it is a very good investment to also make them more accessible. Thank you for sharing.

[Nathan Caldwell]

The recognition of the NPS was nice, and they while they got the bulk of the recognition, projects were also awarded to 5 National Wildlife Refuges, one Army Corp of Engineers facility and 7 National Forests.

While the NPS did get the bulk of the awards, and deservedly so, to only mention the NPS in this blog is to ignore the hard work and major contributions of all the other members of the program. There is a six member agency interagency group that works on the Sarbanes program, including the FWS, Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Federal Lands Highway Office, the DOT's Volpe Center as well as the NPS.

A little recognition of all the members projects and contributions would be appreciated. Thank you.

[Shelley]

I think this grant is a good thing. This will greatly help in preserving our parks for years to come. Fewer vehicles on park roads means less pollution in the future, not to mention less road upkeep needed, etc.

Additionally having fewer cars on the park roads means less traffic. This will only enhance the experience for park tourists and visitors.

I also really appreciate that each of the Park grants have been suited to the specific park's need (i.e. a ferry dock in Florida, and buses in Denali). This makes it seem as though these grants have been evaluated well and will be implemented in a manner that most benefits its environment. These grants will only improve wonderful park experiences for many guests for years to come.

[Park Enthusiast]

I remember when they stopped allowing traffic into the upper part of Zion National Park most times of the day. Lived in the town of Springdale at the entrance at the time. They had new trams that would run up into the park most times of year. Made a huge difference in how it felt to be in the park. Before they made that change, on many days it felt more like being in a parking lot (with great views still admittedly) than a National Park.

This was some years back, not sure of the date. It's good to hear that more of the parks will be getting the same treatment to help reduce the pollu