Reducing Congestion at Grand Canyon's South Rim

More than 1.3 million vehicles travel into the South Rim of the Grand Canyon each year, including over 156,000 in July alone. This huge influx of visitors makes visitor access and personal mobility an ongoing challenge for the National Park Service, especially in terms of parking and congestion at the entrance station. In response to these challenges, a report was completed in 2008 to assess transportation, environmental impacts and visitor experience. Extensive data on traffic, parking, entrance station volumes and shuttle bus ridership was collected over a two-year period. The plan recommended that service lanes and a bypass lane at the entrance be added, more parking spaces be constructed near the visitor center and the most popular overlook, realignment of the main park access road, implementation of a pilot shuttle bus service from a nearby community, and modifications to the existing shuttle bus service within the South Rim. Implementation of these recommendations began almost immediately after the plan was adopted. The changes that have been implemented thus far have been successful in reducing congestion and improving visitor experience.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/614107147
• Authors:
  • Byrne, William
  • Upchurch, Jonathan
• Publication Date: 2011-1

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 50-55
• Serial:
  • ITE Journal
  • Volume: 81
  • Issue Number: 1
  • Publisher: Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE)
  • ISSN: 0162-8178
  • Serial URL: https://www.ite.org/publications/ite-journal/

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Congestion management systems; Environmental impact analysis; Mobility; National parks; Parking demand; Parking facilities; Recommendations; Reports; Shuttle buses; Tourism; Tourists; Traffic congestion; Traffic volume; Transportation planning
• Geographic Terms: Grand Canyon National Park
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; I21: Planning of Transport Infrastructure; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01345582
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, ATRI
• Created Date: Jul 27 2011 7:20AM