At the January 12th Gateway Partners meeting, Park Superintendent Don Neubacher openly acknowledged that tourism in Yosemite Park is a two-edged sword.  On one hand, the Park was proud that just over 4,000,000 people visited Yosemite during 2001, a near record level that was 50,000 visits higher than in 2010.  Obviously, a booming level of visitation bolsters local gateway economies and gets visitors excited about nature and the beauty of Yosemite Park.

      But there is a major down side to so much tourism.  For the majority of the summer season last year, an overload of vehicles crowded the east end of Yosemite Valley.  The Park Service sets a threshold number of 5,000 cars a day as being the level of vehicles that begins to exceed the number of available parking spaces and good spacing for cars traveling on roads in Yosemite Valley.  So while that is not an unbearable number of vehicles, it means busy roads, jammed parking lots, and a crowded situation that isn’t desirable.

      Unfortunately, due to so much tourism demand, there were 67 days last summer with too many cars for the available parking.  For more than two months worth of days during the summer season, vehicle levels were above the level that is judged to be desirable.

      According to Park staff, back in 2007 (just four years ago), a busy day during the peak summer season might have 4,500 cars visit the Valley.  Last year, on a busy day, over 6,000 cars visited Yosemite Valley.  On July 2nd, 7,190 vehicles jammed into Yosemite Valley – setting a new undesirable record for the number of vehicles in a day.

WHAT DOES A LEVEL OF EVEN 6,000 VEHICLES MEAN?

      Last summer on super busy days, at the South Gate entrance to Yosemite, there were delays ofmore than an hour and half with backup gridlock stretching two miles from the entrance station.  In Yosemite Valley, Park staff estimated that it was far faster for people to walk long distances during traffic gridlock than cars were able to move.

      More important, from CSERC’s point of view, the major traffic congestion causes air pollution in a narrow canyon with thousands of humans and a variety of wildlife all squeezed into a confined area.  Vehicles leak petroleum products.  They crowd roadside pullouts, interfere with views, pose safety hazards at congestion levels, and produce noise and distractions from the spectacular beauty of Yosemite Valley.

      Yosemite Park has a legal mandate to set user capacity limits at thresholds that honestly and truly will protect the outstandingly remarkable values of the wild and scenic Merced River and Tuolumne River in the Park.  In Yosemite Valley, an overload of vehicles affects the Merced River corridor and the river experience for Park visitors.

WHAT ARE SOLUTIONS?

      People who travel to Yosemite come from all over the world.  It is not feasible or fair to completely deny people a chance to actually visit Yosemite Valley – the iconic gem that the majority of people (88%) come to Yosemite Park to see. 

      But that does not mean that everyone who comes to Yosemite should have the privilege of driving their car into the east end of Yosemite Valley.

      Over coming months, CSERC will be sharing with Park officials our carefully designed suggestions for drastically reducing vehicle congestion in Yosemite Valley.  No single action will immediately slash vehicle crowding, but various solutions can be applied strategically to bring a long-term answer to the problem.  Options include:

• a  “peak season” Yosemite Valley registration system that limits vehicle numbers;
• increased Park Service traffic diversion (“shunting”) during busy periods;
• high-tech traffic monitoring and a visible sign system to divert traffic when needed;
• Park Service public service announcements encouraging shoulder season tourism;
• a major increase in gateway businesses diverting visitors to national forest sites;
• incentives for day visitors to leave cars in gateway communities and take the bus;
• and perhaps most important of all, a re-thinking of how tourism in Yosemite Valley and the Merced River corridor is allowed to take place.

      Now there is the reason and the justification to make protection of the Yosemite Valley – Merced River ecosystem the highest priority.  CSERC will pour a great deal of time and energy into this effort in support of well-intended Park staff during 2012.

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