
Glacier National Park officials are seeking public comments on how to improve traffic and parking along the Going-to-the-Sun Road/Kurt Repanshek
Traffic jams. No parking. Trail crowds. These are three of the top issues along the Going-to-the-Sun Road corridor that Glacier National Park officials hope to solve through their corridor management plan now in development.
For many years, especially during July and August, the Going-to-the-Sun Road Corridor has experienced crowding and congestion along the road and at associated pullouts and parking areas. Many of the more popular trails in the road corridor are also congested, and impacts to vegetation and wildlife are increasing, according to park officials.
With park visitation on the rise, they say that will add to congestion and crowding, impacts to natural resources, and stress to facility infrastructure such as parking areas and restrooms. Additionally, a recent financial analysis has indicated that the portion of the entrance fees that support the shuttle system launched in 2007 are only paying for operations and maintenance and do not support acquisition of buses.
The preliminary alternatives now being floated for public comment outline various responses that park management could take to address issues along the Going-to-the-Sun Road. Alternative 1 is the no-action alternative, which means no changes from present management. Alternatives 2, 3 and 4 were developed using a more traditional approach of forecasting or predicting a certain future condition of high visitation and longer visitor season. They describe alternative ways the park would respond. Alternative 5 describes a flexible management approach to allow the park to respond to an uncertain future, and changes in transportation, visitation, economics, funding and climate.
The preliminary alternatives were informed by comments and concerns received from the public during the summer of 2013, research conducted by the University of Montana and socio-economic and transportation contractors.
The alternatives are not fully developed yet and are being shared at this time to get early public comment and response. The park has not selected a preferred alternative, nor completed the environmental analysis. The draft plan and environmental impact statement will identify a preferred alternative and analyze impacts of all alternatives, and is anticipated to be available for review and comment later this fall. Public meetings will be held at that time.
The preliminary alternatives are described in the project's spring newsletter. Comments may be submitted online at this website or by mail to: Glacier National Park, Attn: GTSR Corridor Plan, P.O. Box 128, West Glacier, MT, 59936. Comments are due by June 5.
Comments
I was there last summer at the start of the season. Opening of the "Sun Road" to private vehicles was delayed due to a late snowstorm, but we were able to ride the free shuttle from the west side most of the way to Logan Pass, and then walk along the road for several miles. It was a great way to enjoy the area without traffic. A crowd of about 200 people waited quite a while to start their ride due to insufficient shuttle capacity, and I heard quite a few conversations that people would be willing to pay a reasonable fee if it was used to fund more shuttles.
Five days later we drove most of the same route, starting on the east side, the first day the entire road was open. The shuttle trip was definitely more pleasant - no hunting for a parking spot and I was able to keep my eyes on the road instead of the scenery.
The trade-off with our our vehicle was the ability to stop at more locations than the shuttle, and travel on our own schedule, but since we were there for the first day of the season, things were not completely jammed. If we had been there a week or two later, at "peak" season, the shuttle would absolutely be preferable for me - especially for anyone who wanted to spend some time at Logan Pass.
Summary: Expand the shuttle during peak season, even if it requires a modest fee to pay for the service - and then try make sure people understand the challenges of trying to enjoy the trip via your own car.
Would this concept work for a peak season of only about 2 months? I don't know. Staffing and equipment for that short time could be a hurdle.