Volume I May 2012

FINAL FEASIBILITY STUDY

Arches Alternative Transportation System and Congestion Management Study

Final Feasibility Study Arches National Park i

Table of Contents

Introduction Summary of Project History Contents of This Report

Section 1: Shuttle System Alternative Creating the Visitor Shuttle Experience Arches Preferred Shuttle Route & Stops Shuttle Schedule Shuttle System Adjustments Accompanying Congestion Management Strategies Shuttle Fares and Entrance Fee Demand and Ridership Schedule, Frequency and Vehicles Shuttle Infrastructure and Designs Shuttle Cost Shuttle System Performance

Section 2: Non-Shuttle Congestion Management Alternatives Reservation System Non-Reservation, Non-Shuttle Congestion Management Strategy

Section 3: Cost-Benefit Analysis

Section 4: Impacts Analysis Soils Air Quality Soundscapes Visitor Experience Park Operations and Management

References

List of Figures

Figure 1 Arches Shuttle Route

Figure 2 Shuttle Variant 1: Preferred Route with Southbound Stop at Delicate Arch

Figure 3 Shuttle Variant 2: Two-Loop Structure

Figure 4 Hiker Express and Sunset Shuttle Routes

Figure 5 Moab Main Street Route & Potential Stops

Figure 6 Potential Long-Term Entrance Station Reconfiguration for Shuttle-Priority Lane.24 ii

List of Tables

Table 1 Targeted Market Segments

Table 2 Shuttle Season and Schedule

Table 3 Potential Visitor Itineraries on Shuttle

Table 4 Ridership on Comparable Visitor Transportation Systems

Table 5 Vehicle Loads and Cost for Different Frequencies on Main Arches Shuttle

Table 6 Summary of Fuel Type Performance

Table 7 Park-and-Ride Lot

Table 8 Approximate Maintenance Facility Requirements

Table 9 Annual Operating Costs and Cost Drivers for Preferred Shuttle (2013)

Table 10 Operating Cost Comparison for Variants on the Main Shuttle Route (2013)

Table 11 Summary of Costs for Preferred Pilot Shuttle System

Table 12 Congestion Impacts and Cost of Preferred Shuttle System

Table 13 Current Contract Line Item Numbers for Recreation.gov - 2011

Table 14 Summary of Costs for Reservation System

Table 15 Summary of Costs for Non-Shuttle Non-Reservation Congestion Management Strategy

Table 16 Summary of First-Year Cost Benefit Analysis

Appendices (Volume II)

Appendix A: Shuttle Stop Designs

Appendix B: Shuttle Stop Locations

Appendix C: Park-and-Ride Lot Designs

Appendix D: Greenhouse Gas Emissions Analysis

Appendix E: Environmental Screening Form

Appendix F: Detailed Estimates for Cost and Cost Benefit

Appendix G: Moab Route Fare Collection and Ridership Considerations

INTRODUCTION

Arches National Park preserves over 2,000 natural sandstone arches, including the internationally renowned Delicate Arch, in a setting unlike any other in the world. At Arches, a visitor can get an up-close, personal experience of these extraordinary rock formations set against dramatic colorful vistas.

This accessibility has attracted thousands of visitors from around the world; annual visitation was over one million in 2011. In recent years, this high visitation rate during the peak season has far exceeded the park’s automobile capacity which has caused severe parking and traffic congestion, degrading visitor experience and impacting this fragile desert ecosystem.

As part of its long-term transportation planning efforts, Arches National Park initiated the Alternative Transportation System and Congestion Management Study in 2011 to reduce traffic congestion, air and noise pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and the impacts of transportation on Arches’ valuable resources. The study aims to achieve this reduction by decreasing the number of automobiles within the park while maintaining and improving public access and visitor experience. The study includes both a shuttle alternative and non-shuttle alternatives to meet these goals.

SUMMARY OF PROJECT HISTORY

The study began with a kick-off meeting and site visit with NPS staff and the consultant team. As the project moved forward, the team developed the Preliminary Transportation Analysis, which analyzed existing transportation and visitation patterns and congestion conditions. The report identified initial parameters of a potential shuttle service for consideration including seasonal operations, variations by day of week and time of day, candidate shuttle stop locations in the park, visitor capacity constraints, potential route structures, and incentives for shuttle use. Based on these parameters, the analysis identified initial upper and lower bounds for fleet size, ridership, and parking needs, as well as operational, staging, and maintenance needs for the shuttle to inform selection of sites.

Next, the team developed the Draft Concepts Plan, which considered a range of congestion management and shuttle options for Arches National Park. The report included two Moab shuttle route options:

Alternative 1: Moab Center Street

Alternative 2: Moab Main Street

And four Arches shuttle route options:

Alternative 3: Arches Two-Route with In-Park Loop

Alternative 4: Arches Two Route

Alternative 5: Arches One Route

Alternative 6: Arches Three Route

These routing options were developed to cater to the needs of different visitor groups, identified as visitor “market segments” in the report. The route alternatives were combined with complementary congestion management strategies to create four scenarios that represented a range of costs and benefits:

Scenario 1: Congestion Management only; No Shuttle

Scenario 2: Basic Shuttle

Scenario 3: Enhanced Shuttle

Scenario 4: Maximum Shuttle Access

These four scenarios were presented for National Park Service (NPS) staff and local stakeholder consideration at a project workshop on November 15, 2011. Participants suggested changes to the targeted visitor market segments, refinements to the alternatives as well as new routes and scenarios.

Options for a preferred scenario were discussed at the workshop and the field was narrowed to candidate route variations based mainly on Alternatives 3 and 5.

The consultant team refined the scenarios developed at the workshop and prepared a draft preferred scenario for the Arches National Park shuttle pilot. The preferred alternative was finalized in consultation with NPS staff in December 2012.

The preferred shuttle alternative presented in the Draft Feasibility Study was based on this preferred shuttle route. Upon additional analysis, some additional refinements were made to the preferred scenario during the development of the Draft Feasibility Study to optimize shuttle operational efficiency and ease of visitor use. The primary change was to change to a single route rather than a north and south loop to improve visitor understanding and operational efficiency.

This Final Feasibility Study reflects final adjustments that were made to the shuttle system based on NPS feedback, including removal of the Hiker and Sunset shuttles from the initial pilot project, adjustments to the season and hours of operation of the main shuttle, and a decision not to include the Moab shuttle in the initial pilot in order to align shuttle costs with available funding. The Hiker, Sunset and Moab routes are still included as “Shuttle System Adjustments” in the event that additional funding is identified by the park or through public-private partnerships with the City of Moab and/or local businesses and non-profit organizations.

CONTENTS OF THIS REPORT

This Final Feasibility Study provides a detailed description of the final preferred Arches pilot shuttle system with accompanying congestion management strategies (section 1) as well as two non-shuttle alternatives (section 2) that would rely entirely on other congestion management strategies to achieve the park’s goals. The report compares the benefits and costs of the shuttle system against those of the congestion-management-only scenario (section 3) and describes the impacts (section 4).

SECTION 1: SHUTTLE SYSTEM ALTERNATIVE

A shuttle system in Arches National Park will enhance the park’s accessibility by providing visitors with an alternative mode by which to experience the park: a shuttle bus. The shuttle system was designed to provide visitors with an attractive shuttle-based park experience that will be competitive with driving through the park.

CREATING THE VISITOR SHUTTLE EXPERIENCE

Arches National Park had over one million visitors in 2011. These visitors were diverse in their reasons for visiting Arches National Park and the way they experienced the park. Some came for just a few hours to see just two or three sites while others came for multiple days and saw most of the sites. Some traveled mostly on the main roads and saw the sights primarily from the seats of their cars while others explored the less-visited dirt roads and spent time hiking, rock climbing, or backpacking in the backcountry.

A shuttle in Arches National Park aims to attract some portion of these visitors in order to alleviate the acute parking and traffic congestion that the park has experienced in recent years. To do this, a shuttle cannot simply stop where congestion is the worst, but must provide an attractive visitor experience that people will choose over driving. Given the diversity of visitor experiences in Arches, it would be impossible to design a single shuttle to appeal to all visitors. For example, a fast shuttle with limited stops will appeal to certain groups, while other visitors will desire a shuttle with more stops and may not mind a longer ride.

To design a comprehensive system with multiple routes to meet all visitor needs is not possible within realistic budget constraints. Arches National Park has some unique challenges in comparison to other national park shuttle systems. First, the road through Arches is 18 miles long with two spur roads which provide access to the most popular visitor sites within the park. Long drive times contribute to high operating costs. For instance, to provide service comparable to the frequent, comprehensive service offered on the popular Zion National Park shuttle, which has a 3 mile route, would cost many times more at Arches. In addition, the length of the Arches’ road combined with the park’s extreme summer heat requires a service that will move visitors around quickly and efficiently and allow visitors a fast exit out of the park at the end of their stay.

Fortunately, the shuttle does not need to appeal to every visitor who enters Arches to have an effect on the current congestion problem. The shuttle must attract enough riders to reduce the impact of private vehicles on the park and relieve severe congestion. To do this, the consulting team, in collaboration with NPS staff, identified a range of common visitor experiences at Arches National Park and grouped these into potential “market segments” for shuttle design. These market segments are described in terms of their desired park experience as well as their size, impact on congestion, and willingness to use a shuttle.

The preferred shuttle scenario is designed to attract the largest market segments with the highest potential to use the shuttle. The shuttle seeks to offer a competitive alternative to driving for these segments by providing an equivalent or enhanced experience for travel within the park. By attracting a significant portion of these market segments, the shuttle can significantly relieve park congestion. The targeted market segments are shown in table 1.

The preferred shuttle scenario was developed based on the best information available today, which does not include any direct information on visitor preferences regarding shuttle design. The shuttle is designed as a three-year pilot program and can be modified after implementation as actual usage patterns become known and in response to feedback from visitors. Over the course of the first season, the park will collect visitor surveys, which will greatly enhance the information available about visitor preferences to inform shuttle design. The park will also be able to gauge shuttle success through actual ridership counts and measurement of private vehicle use and congestion impacts. In response to this data, the park may adjust location of stops, the number or structure of shuttle routes, the operating season, hours or frequency, and/or the accompanying congestion management strategies. By the end of the pilot period, the park should have sufficient information so that the long-term shuttle, if they choose to continue with a shuttle system, is designed to best meet park and visitor needs.

To accommodate this uncertainty, this study includes potential adjustments that could be tested in addition to the preferred shuttle scenario, described in “Shuttle Adjustments” section.

Table 1 Targeted Market Segments

Market Segment

Description Market Size Effect on congestion How this segment was considered in design of preferred shuttle

“Big Two” Visitors

This type of visitor has only 2-3 hours to spend in Arches and is likely to only visit two major destinations: Balanced Rock and the Windows section. These visitors might stop at Park Avenue, Courthouse Towers, or La Sal Viewpoint, but are unlikely to travel beyond the Windows Road.

Large – park staff receives large number of requests for a 2-3 hour itinerary.

High – As these visitors are mainly visiting two of the most congested sites, they have a relatively large impact on congestion.

A clear, direct, and easy shuttle itinerary that hits major sites and can be completed in two hours.

Direct service to Balanced Rock and Windows

Efficient, reliable shuttle operations

Reliable

Kid-friendly

“Guide-me” Tourists

This segment corresponds with the mainstream park user. These visitors typically have just one day in which to visit Arches National Park and are likely to spend 4-6 hours in the park. They are most focused on seeing the famous sites: Balanced Rock, Windows, Delicate Arch, and Devil's Garden, but may also want to do a short hike, stop at viewpoints, and see other sites if time permits.

This market segment looks for guidance from the park on what they should see.

Large High - The sheer volume of visitors in this segment has a large impact on congestion.

This is illustrated in the overlap between trailhead popularity and parking lot congestion.

Direct service to major sites

Some additional sites available

Interpretative elements

Efficient, easy-to-understand routing structure

One-way hikes

Kid-friendly

Endurance - All Day Visitors

Individuals in this segment typically have just one day in which to visit Arches National Park and want to see it all.

Members of this segment aspire to visit every destination in the park and spend as many as eight hours during their visit.

Large High - This segment has a large impact on parking congestion because of its large size and extended use of the park.

Comprehensive service to most sites

On-board interpretative elements

One-way hikes

Kid-friendly

Market Segment

Description Market Size Effect on congestion How this segment was considered in design of preferred shuttle

Day Hikers This segment includes visitors who do multi-hour hikes, mainly at Devil’s Garden.

Individuals in this segment park for long periods of time and need to bring larger amounts of water and gear than other groups.

Small High – Although small in size, this group has a disproportionate impact on parking congestion because they leave their vehicles for long periods of time.

One-way hikes

Direct service to Devil’s Garden early in the morning

Ample on-board cargo space

Sun-setters Individuals in this segment visit Delicate Arch to observe the sunset. These individuals are likely members of other market segments, but return to the park in the evening (or stay later than their counterparts) to see the sunset. These visitors visit in the evening to experience solitude, quiet, and night-scenery.

Small High - Concentrated use at specific times and locations results in localized congestion.

Direct evening service

On-board interpretative elements-opportunity for experience-driven “sunset” or “night sky” shuttle

ARCHES PREFERRED SHUTTLE ROUTE & STOPS

The Arches pilot shuttle system will include one main route that represents a refinement of the scenarios developed at the November 15, 2011 workshop in Moab. The preferred shuttle route was designed to meet the following primary objectives. These include experiential goals to cater to the targeted market segments as well as NPS goals for cost-effectiveness:

Provide a direct route to Windows without a transfer and convenient 2-3 hour visitation options to cater to the “Big Two” visitor.

Include the high visitation sites to cater to the “All-day visitor” and “Guide-me tourist” to ensure visitors don’t feel they would be “missing” something by taking the shuttle.

Provide a direct way home at the end of the day for hot and tired visitors and hikers returning from Devil’s Garden.

Design simple, intuitive routes.

Maximize access, while also taking efficiency and length of trip into consideration.

Design for efficient and cost-effective routing and shuttle operations.

The Arches shuttle will allow visitors to see the four most popular attractions in the park: Balanced Rock, Windows, Delicate Arch and Devil’s Garden and visit a number of secondary sites as well. Passengers will access the shuttle exclusively from a park-and-ride location just outside of the park. It will then operate in a one-way loop stopping at all stops on the northbound journey and only prime stops on the southbound journey. This allows for a direct “one-seat” ride to Balanced Rock and Windows and a fast route out of the park from Windows to cater to the 2-3 hour visitor. It also allows for visitors with more time to see many of the prime sites in the northern end of the park, while still maintaining a faster limited-stop route back to the park-and-ride lot at the end of a visit. The single route structure is simple and cost-effective and provides a good balance between access and efficiency.

Stop Locations

There will be eleven stops in Arches on the preferred shuttle system:

1. Visitor Center

2. Park Avenue

3. La Sal Mountains Viewpoint

4. Courthouse Towers

5. Balanced Rock

6. Upper Windows

7. Wolfe Ranch/Delicate Arch Trailhead

8. Delicate Arch Viewpoint

9. Fiery Furnace

10. Sand Dune Arch

11. Devil’s Garden Trailhead

The shuttle system was designed to provide service to all of the stops identified as prime candidates as well as a number of secondary sites in the park. One of the outcomes of the November planning workshop was the importance of giving visitors ample opportunities to stop throughout the park. Based on the proliferation of social pull-off locations throughout the park (spots where visitors stop that are not designated for stopping and parking), it is clear that visitors want to stop frequently to enjoy the views.

The Visitor Center, Balanced Rock, Windows, Wolfe Ranch, Delicate Arch Viewpoint, Fiery Furnace, and Devil’s Garden Trailhead were included because they were high or prime shuttle stop candidates in the Preliminary Transportation Analysis Conclusions. Park Avenue and Courthouse Towers were identified as moderate shuttle stop candidates, but they were included in the preferred shuttle scenario to allow visitors to easily complete the one-way hike between these two locations, which is an incentive to ride the shuttle. The La Sal Viewpoint was a low candidate for a shuttle stop in the Preliminary Transportation Analysis Conclusions, but has been included as a stop because it allows for excellent panoramic views of the park and surrounding area as an introduction to the park. Locating a stop here introduces the potential for enhanced interpretation at this site to emphasize its “introductory” role.

This set of preferred stops will be tested in the initial pilot and stops can be adjusted over time in response to rider feedback and other evaluation tools (see “Shuttle Adjustments” section for more information).

One-way Loop Structure

Shuttle materials and park staff will educate visitors about the one-way nature of this route, emphasizing that sites should be visited while traveling northbound and that the only direct ways out of the park are from Windows and Devil’s Garden.

The only itinerary that is impossible on this shuttle is the “quick trip” including only Windows and Delicate Arch because the southbound shuttle will not stop at Delicate Arch. All passengers who board northbound shuttle at Windows will have to travel to Devil’s Garden before returning to the park entrance. Based on results from the 2003 visitor survey, more than two-thirds of visitors spend more than 4 hours in the park (65%) and over 20% spend more than 7 hours. Further, over 60% of visitors hike the Delicate Arch trail and over 50% hike to Landscape Arch. Given this overlap and the amount of time people spend at the park, it is reasonable that most visitors who choose to ride the shuttle beyond Windows will want to see both Delicate Arch and Devils Garden. This issue is also addressed in the “Shuttle Adjustments” section below.

Shuttle parking areas, shuttle stop designs, and other infrastructure requirements are discussed in the final part of section 1.

Figure 1 Arches Shuttle Route

SHUTTLE SCHEDULE

The shuttle will commence operation the second Saturday in May and the season will end the last Sunday in September. Each day, the shuttle will run from 8 AM to 5 PM every 15 minutes: the first shuttle will leave the park-and-ride lot at 8 AM and the final shuttle of the day will depart from Devil’s Garden at 4:30 PM. (See “Schedule, Frequency and Vehicles” below for additional information on shuttle frequency.)

Table 2 summarizes the Arches shuttle operating season and schedule.

Table 2 Shuttle Season and Schedule

Shuttle Season Second Saturday in May – Last Sunday in September

(~20 weeks)

Hours of Operation 8 AM – 5 PM

Frequency Every 15 minutes

SHUTTLE SYSTEM ADJUSTMENTS

The preferred shuttle was designed as a one-way loop in order to balance comprehensiveness with efficiency and cost-effectiveness. During the first season of operation, the success of this preferred pilot shuttle route can be measured through ridership counts, measurement of private vehicle use and congestion impacts, visitor surveys and rider feedback. Based on this data, the park can make adjustments to any of the parameters of the shuttle’s design, such as:

Adjustments to stop locations: Many of the stop locations that are included in the preferred shuttle were prime candidates based on popularity and parking congestion; however a number of the secondary sites, such as La Sal Viewpoint, Sand Dune Arch, and Fiery Furnace were included to enhance the visitor experience. The pilot will afford the opportunity to test these types of stop locations to see if they are worth the extra time. Stop locations such as Lower Windows and Skyline Arch were considered as candidate shuttle stops but not included out of concern for the length of the shuttle route. These stops could be added to the route if necessary to respond to visitor feedback.

Operating Season, Hours or Frequency: The season and hours could be expanded or contracted according to shuttle performance data. Final adjustments were made to the pilot shuttle route and operations schedule to ensure the pilot shuttle can operate within realistic funding constraints.

The original proposed operating season and schedule was from mid-March through mid-October and from 8 AM to 6 PM daily.

Route structure: Adjustments could be made to the shuttle system route structure. Some potential route variations that were considered in the final design of the preferred shuttle route are described below. These would enhance the shuttle system, but would also add to the operating budget and vehicle requirements. These or any other adjustments to the shuttle will have to be evaluated once the service is in operation.

Funding to implement adjustments over time has been built into the operating cost estimates. Assuming no major operating flaw is revealed, the initial pilot shuttle system should operate for at least a few months before any significant alterations are made and it is recommended that any major restructuring of the service should wait until the second season to allow for collection of robust visitor feedback and performance data. All changes should be grounded in data and made only on a periodic basis in order to isolate the causes of changes in performance and ultimately determine the best routing structure for the long-term shuttle system, if the park decides to continue the service.

Shuttle Variant 1 – Add a stop at Delicate Arch on the Southbound Route

Shuttle Variant 1 is a variation on the preferred shuttle route that would add a stop at Wolfe Ranch and Delicate Arch in the southbound direction as the shuttle is heading out of the park. This variation should be implemented if visitors indicate strong desire for visiting Windows and Delicate Arch without traveling to Devil’s Garden or if the lack of a fast and direct route out of the park for hikers from Delicate Arch is causing major frustration. Adding this stop will increase the travel time for riders leaving Devil’s Garden and, therefore, will not benefit all riders. Implementing this variation would allow park staff to test the trade-offs between meeting the needs of visitors to Delicate Arch against potential frustrations caused by a less direct route for hikers from Devil’s Garden.

This would be a relatively minor adjustment to the preferred route, shown in figure 2. This variant would add approximately 12 minutes of travel time to the preferred route, which would require one additional vehicle. The difference in operating cost that this entails is addressed in the discussion of shuttle cost at the end of this section.

Figure 2 Shuttle Variant 1: Preferred Route with Southbound Stop at Delicate Arch

Shuttle Variant 2 – Two Loop Routes

Shuttle Variant 2 is a more significant variation on the preferred shuttle which would split the single park loop into a two-route loop system: a south loop similar to the south end of the preferred shuttle and an express north route that travels direct from the park entrance to Windows and then through the northern end of the park. The north loop would follow the preferred route through the north end of the park and make only two stops on the southbound trip: Wolfe Ranch/Delicate Arch Trailhead and Delicate Arch Viewpoint. Similar to Shuttle Variant 1, this adjustment would accommodate two visitor experiences that are not well served on the preferred shuttle: visitors wishing to see Windows and Delicate Arch without traveling to Devil’s Garden and hikers who want a direct route out of the park from Delicate Arch. It would also add a third option which is an express non-stop route from the park entrance to Windows. This route is not as efficient as the other routes and therefore would be significantly more costly to operate. It is also potentially more confusing for shuttle riders, but it would provide a wide range of visitor experiences while still preserving direct exit routes from the park for visitors.

This adjustment could be implemented if the visitor experiences available on the current shuttle are not attracting enough riders to alleviate congestion. The two-loop adjustment is shown in figure 3. This route would add significant operating time to the shuttle system and therefore require more vehicles and entail significantly higher operating costs, which is discussed at the end of this section.

Figure 3 Shuttle Variant 2: Two-Loop Structure

Addition of “Specialty” Shuttle Routes

Two “specialty” shuttle routes were initially considered for the pilot shuttle system in the Draft Feasibility Study, but were not included due to funding constraints. These routes could be considered in the future if additional funding is identified. These routes could also potentially be provided through public-private partnerships with local businesses and/or non-profit organizations in Moab.

Hiker Express Shuttle

During the workshop, park staff expressed a concern that visitors hiking from the Devil’s Garden trailhead have a disproportionate impact on congestion because they arrive early and occupy between 25% and 30% of prime parking spaces at Devil’s Garden for long periods of time. The Draft Feasibility Study included a Hiker Express shuttle that would travel non-stop to Devil’s Garden in the early morning to cater to all-day hikers. This would free up parking spaces at the trailhead that would otherwise be occupied for hours while these visitors hike.

The Hiker Shuttle would begin operation earlier than the other routes to allow hikers to reach the trailhead before the heat of the day and would operate through midmorning. The proposed Hiker Shuttle hours of operation were 7 AM until 10 AM. As initially designed, the shuttle would not take visitors back to the entrance to the park. Hikers would board the main Arches Shuttle to return southbound when they are done hiking. To incentivize use of this shuttle, the park could restrict parking at Devil’s Garden to a 3 or 4 hour maximum.

Sunset Shuttle

The second specialty shuttle that was included in the Draft Feasibility Study was a Sunset Shuttle that would make a non-stop trip to Delicate Arch in the evening for sunset. Like the Hiker Express, this shuttle route was designed to cater to a market segment that is relatively small, but has a disproportionate impact on congestion at the Wolfe Ranch parking lot during the sunset hours. The exact schedule of this route could vary by season according to the time of sunset. The shuttle would have to be timed to arrive at the Wolfe Ranch trailhead at least 70-90 minutes before sunset to allow variable hiking times to Delicate Arch. Daily departure time for the shuttle could be posted at the Visitor Center. To avoid overcrowding at Delicate Arch, it is recommended that only one trip be scheduled per day.

The Hiker Express and Sunset Shuttle routes are illustrated in figure 4 below.

Figure 4 Hiker Express and Sunset Shuttle Routes

Addition of Moab Shuttle “Feeder” Route

The initial pilot shuttle system will operate from a large park-and-ride lot outside the park entrance.

However, access to the shuttle could also be provided through a Moab “feeder” shuttle that would bring visitors from their hotels in the city to the park entrance. These types of town-park feeder shuttles exist in many National Park communities across the country. Inclusion of a Moab route in the system is desired by the park and the City of Moab, but was not possible due to funding availability. The Moab route is an optional addition to the Arches shuttle if funding becomes available in the future. The addition of a Moab shuttle would change the visitor access experience to the Arches shuttle system and could possibly offer an added incentive to ride the shuttle.

Initial design of a Moab shuttle route was completed as part of this feasibility study. A Moab shuttle would require further design refinement and collaboration with the Utah Department of Transportation regarding transit operations on U.S. highway 191 (e.g. information on actual locations, signing, striping, bus size(s), stop frequency, etc.) before commencing operations, but the following provides a basis for future work.

The preferred Moab shuttle route would travel down Main Street through the city to park entrance. The Main Street route was selected because it provides the shuttle with high visibility; the fastest, most direct route to the park; and access to key destinations such as the Moab Information Center (MIC) and Main Street businesses. Compared to other non-Main Street alternatives considered, a route down Main Street with minimal turns would also seem shorter and more efficient to most riders.

This convenient central routing could serve local residents and employees along the way, providing an additional amenity to the City of Moab. Similar “city/park” shuttles in other locations have provided either free or low-cost trips for local residents and employees making local trips outside of the park. The Moab shuttle can also potentially provide service to employees who live in Moab, who would be able to commute into the park without driving.

Main Street is also U.S. highway 191 and therefore a shuttle along Main Street will require coordination with the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT). Permission from UDOT would be necessary to develop any on-highway shuttle stops. NPS and Moab city staff have discussed the feasibility of the Moab shuttle with UDOT and UDOT staff indicated openness to considering stops on U.S. highway 191.

If UDOT did not approve shuttle stops on Main Street, this route could still be viable, but shuttle stops would have to be developed off-street in private lots. The off-street option was not initially favored by park staff or Moab stakeholders. The preferred route through Moab and potential stop locations are shown in figure 5.

Figure 5 Moab Main Street Route & Potential Stops

Moab Shuttle Stop Locations

Stop locations were not finalized for the Moab shuttle route. The following are potential stops, refined from original proposals based on discussions at the November workshop.

South End of Moab: A shuttle stop located at the south end of Moab could serve shuttle passengers staying at the cluster of hotels and campgrounds located on South Main Street between 400E Street and Uranium Avenue. There are seven hotels and campgrounds clustered within half a mile of each other at this location. A shuttle stop located near Kane Creek Boulevard would allow all the visitors at these hotels and campgrounds to walk to the shuttle stop within 5-10 minutes.1 Kane Creek Boulevard also has a crosswalk and signal which would allow for access to the shuttle stop from both sides of the street.

Those visitors staying at hotels and campgrounds located south of the City of Moab could use a park-and-ride lot at the south end of Main Street to access the shuttle. One potential location for a shuttle park-and-ride and/or operations and maintenance facility is in the vicinity of the intersection of 400E and Main Street. There was strong interest in capturing recreational vehicle (RV) drivers as riders of the shuttle route. One possibility that was discussed includes working with campground operators to shuttle their clients to the start of the south end of the Moab route.

The location of a shuttle stop at the south end of Moab would require further study as well as coordination with UDOT, the City of Moab, and private property owners before finalizing a location.

Downtown Moab: There was strong support for a stop located at the MIC, at Center and Main Streets, right in the heart of downtown Moab. The MIC is an excellent source for visitor information and a shuttle stop here would be a great opportunity to extend the park experience into the City of Moab. It also offers a place to sell park entrance passes for shuttle riders. Passengers could walk directly to a stop at the MIC from the many hotels located downtown and this stop allows easy access to downtown restaurants and shops.2 Pedestrian conditions are excellent in this section of Moab; Center Street has enhanced urban design, colored crosswalks, and pedestrian crossing signals that are highly conducive to easy and safe passenger access and boarding to the shuttle.

Ideally, a stop for the Arches-bound shuttle would be located at the curb on the eastern side of Main Street in front of the MIC, not requiring the shuttle to make any turns off of Main Street and allowing seamless access for visitors to/from the MIC entrance pavilion/plaza. The curb parking lane here is sufficiently wide enough to accommodate a shuttle stop, but would require removal of a few parking spaces. The return shuttle from Arches would ideally stop on the southwest corner of Main and Center Streets, potentially taking advantage of the large curb bulb-out at this location.

In addition, locating a shuttle stop at the MIC would provide an amenity to the City of Moab as there are a number of civic buildings on Center Street within a quarter mile walking distance from this stop including the Grand County Library, a Moab city playground, city offices, and the Center Street ballpark.

1 Lodging sites in this cluster include: Silver Sage Inn, La Quinta Inn, Comfort Suites, Moab Valley Inn, Canyonlands Campground, Red Stone Inn, and Big Horn Lodge. These hotels have over 420 units (according to data from Moab’s official tourism website: http://www.discovermoab.com/hotels.htm which does not include the campground).

2 Eleven hotels, inns and lodges are located within a ¼ mile radius of this stop, including over 530 units (according to data from Moab’s official tourism website: http://www.discovermoab.com/hotels.htm). Hotels and inns include River Canyon Lodge, Bowen Motel, Roadway Landmark Inn, Red Rock Lodge, Best Western Canyonlands, Kokopelli Lodge, Rustic Inn, Best Western Greenwell, Ramada, Virginian Inn, and Gonzo Inn.

It may be possible to provide limited parking for shuttle passengers directly at the MIC, however the benefits of these few spaces is unlikely to outweigh other beneficial uses of the MIC parking lot. Locating a shuttle stop at this location would require coordination with UDOT, the City of Moab, and the MIC.

North Moab: There are a number of hotels along Main Street/U.S. highway 191 north of Moab, suggesting potential demand for a shuttle stop. However, the street environment is dominated by car, truck, and freight traffic and is not conducive to pedestrian circulation. Hotels are also spaced far apart making it difficult to efficiently locate a shuttle stop. On-street shuttle stops are not recommended in this area. Visitors staying at lodging in this stretch would have to be served through a park-and-ride lot closer to the park entrance.3

Lions Park: A final potential shuttle stop would be at Lions Park where the City of Moab is constructing a multi-modal transit hub. The Lions Park site could serve as an excellent multi-modal transfer point for a park shuttle service. Its function as a park-and-ride lot may be limited by several factors including competing demand for parking space from other uses and parking management policies enacted by the City of Moab. Traffic operations associated with the site’s proximity to two major highways would have to be studied to locate a shuttle stop here.

Park-and-ride lot or Visitor Center: The Moab route would connect to the main Arches shuttle either at a park-and-ride lot located outside the park, or at the Visitor Center, as discussed below.

Additional Considerations for Moab Shuttle Route

Locating stops near hotels and other attractions would allow people to access the shuttle on foot and reduces the need for park-and-ride facilities. Some smaller park-and-ride facilities would still be needed to allow access to visitors staying at hotels and motels that are not near a shuttle stop. In addition, locating shuttle stops downtown could induce demand for on-street parking, which is already perceived to be a major issue on Main Street. Providing some park-and-ride facilities and encouraging walk-only access to the downtown stop would avoid exacerbating these perceived parking issues.4 The location of these park-and-ride lots to serve the Moab route must be carefully considered. If a large park-and-ride lot is also being offered right outside the park entrance, it may decrease use of the Moab route.

Shuttle marketing efforts must include promotion of walking routes to shuttle stops and limited park-and-ride options. Shared parking opportunities should be explored with the City of Moab, especially at locations such as schools, churches, and the new Lions Park transit center (where there are lots that are potentially unused for parts of the week and/or year).

To provide the best possible experience for the riders who board a shuttle in Moab, passengers could continue into the park on the same shuttle without having to transfer at the park-and-ride lot. However, a Moab route that travels into Arches without passing through the park-and-ride lot introduces the issue of when and how visitors would pay their entrance fee. If the park opts to include a Moab route, this issue

3 These hotels have over 600 units combined according to data from Moab’s official tourism website:

http://www.discovermoab.com/hotels.htm which includes Adventure Inn, Days Inn, Hampton Inn, Inca Inn, Super 8, Riverside Inn, Motel 6, Holiday Inn, Aarchway Inn.

4 This is a common perception in small downtown environments like Moab, but sometimes does not reflect a true parking shortage, but merely a mismatch of supply and demand. Often all drivers are trying to access the most convenient on-street parking which is unregulated while off-street lots with ample spaces remain unoccupied within a block of the main street. Traffic surveys have not been done to verify parking supply and occupancy in Moab.

will have to be addressed, as well as how the Moab route would interline with the Arches shuttle. This is addressed below in the discussion of entrance fee payment.

ACCOMPANYING CONGESTION MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES

Congestion management strategies can enhance the benefits of the shuttle, making it a more attractive alternative to driving. This section describes the preferred congestion management strategies that were selected for implementation in conjunction with a shuttle in Arches. The congestion-management only alternative is described in Section 3 of this report.

Visitor Information

Marketing will be critical in the success of the Arches shuttle. Developing clear, compelling informational materials and then widely disseminating this information and actively educating park visitors is going to be the single best tool to increase use of the shuttle.

The first step is designing the materials and messaging. The shuttle will not necessarily “speak for itself” as an attractive way to visit the park. The language that is used and type of information that is offered will impact people’s likelihood to ride. The shuttle must be promoted as the best way to see the park for the targeted visitor segments. The “two-hour visitor” and the “guide-me” tourist were targeted for this pilot in part because these visitors actively seek advice on the best ways to see Arches.

In addition, visitors will have to be educated about the one-way nature of this route, emphasizing that sites should be visited while traveling northbound and that the only two direct ways out of the park are from Windows and Devil’s Garden.

Visitor itineraries should be developed to recommend the best ways to use the shuttle to see the park; a sample is shown in table 3. Simple shuttle brochures could be developed that include both the shuttle route map and suggested use of the shuttle.

Table 3 Potential Visitor Itineraries on Shuttle

Time Available

Itinerary Description Visitor Group Targeted

2 hours

Use the northbound shuttle to see panoramic vistas at La Sal Viewpoint, visit Balanced Rock and explore the Windows. Return home from Windows on the southbound shuttle.

Big “2” (Two-hour visitor)

“Guide-Me” Tourist

3-4 hours

Use the northbound shuttle to hike Park Avenue to Courthouse Towers, the shuttle will pick you up and take you to visit Balanced Rock and the Windows. Return home from Windows.

Big “2” (Two-hour visitor)

“Guide-Me” Tourist

4-7 hours

Take the northbound shuttle to visit Windows, Delicate Arch, Devil’s Garden and more!

You will have time to visit many of the parks great sites and take a hike or two. Remember to visit the sites you want to see on your way north, as you will get a direct trip home from Devil’s Garden at the end of your visit on the southbound shuttle.

Endurance All-Day Visitor

“Guide-me” Tourist

Once the shuttle materials are developed, this shuttle information should be prominently featured in all the NPS trip planning resources that are already offered: the front page of the local newspaper, the front page of the Arches website, a shuttle page on the Arches website, in the Arches Facebook profile and through the Twitter feed. Posters could also be developed that could be prominently displayed in the MIC, in hotel lobbies, on campground bulletin boards, and in store windows in downtown Moab. The goal should be for shuttle information to be nearly ubiquitous; no one should leave Moab or the NPS website unaware that there is an Arches shuttle available.

Training park staff that interacts with visitors on how to talk about the shuttle and how to encourage its use will also be important.

Partnerships

Strengthening the partnerships through which shuttle information is disseminated will also be critical.

More formal partnerships could be established with local hotels, docents at the MIC, and tourism bureaus such as Discover Moab and the Travel Council of Grand County. Training could be offered for concierges and MIC docents similar to the training that is provided to park staff, so that everyone who frequently works with park visitors is aware of the shuttle and understands how it can best be used.

There are some good examples of marketing partnerships in other national parks, including the Yosemite Area Regional Transit System (YARTS) shuttle in Yosemite which is promoted through the hotel desks along the route and in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area where anyone staying at the Fort Baker lodge gets information about alternatives to private vehicles and the cost of parking.

These marketing and information efforts would be relatively low-cost, but could require the investment of a significant amount of park staff time to implement, especially the initial development of materials and the establishment and maintenance of partnerships, including ongoing training.

Changeable Message Signs

Changeable message signs indicating congestion conditions and encouraging shuttle use would be an excellent congestion management tool to implement in conjunction with the shuttle. They could be located on U.S. 191 in Moab and north of Arches for traffic headed southbound. Muir Woods National Monument in California is a good example of the impact of changeable message signs, which play a pivotal role in getting drivers to switch modes to a shuttle. The highway message sign reads: “Muir Woods Parking Full - Use Shuttle.” According to a survey conducted in 2007, over half of those taking the Muir Woods shuttle did so because of a physical sign they saw en route to the park, including the changeable highway sign and other static signs. Alternatively, the park could use flip-signs to promote shuttle usage that are activated by park staff. These would be lower cost, but are not likely to be as visible to visitors as they enter the area from the north or from the City of Moab. Portable electronic signs are recommended.

Shuttle Priority at Entrance Gate

Based on the recommendation to initiate shuttle service at a large park-and-ride lot, the visitor experience on the shuttle is going to begin outside the park entrance. Shuttles must be given priority in entering the park over private vehicles to ensure that the first visitor experience on the shuttle is not waiting in line at the entrance gate. Park staff has reported that queues at the entrance gate sometimes stretch all the way to U.S. highway 191.

In the long term, especially if the park opts to continue with a permanent shuttle operation, the park should widen the entrance road to allow for a shuttle-only lane that bypasses the entrance station. A preliminary analysis of conditions at the entrance gate indicate that a shuttle-only entrance lane around the entrance gate could be created on the northern side of the current entrance station through a relatively small widening of the road. To ensure shuttles are not stuck behind vehicles queuing on the entrance road the entrance road could be widened back towards the highway to allow the shuttle to bypass a longer queue of vehicles. The length of road widening that would be required for shuttles traveling in the shuttle-only lane to reliably bypass the queue would be based on how long the vehicle queue reaches during peak season. One constraint is the existence of a culvert under the entrance road. This may pose environmental and/or financial barriers to road widening beyond this point. Both of these widening concepts are illustrated in figure 6.

Given the high cost of this solution, for the purposes of the pilot, park staff has indicated that shuttles can use the maintenance road which turns off of the entrance road before the entrance station to bypass the queues. This is not an optimal situation for shuttles as it requires that they take a more circuitous route, but is a relatively low-cost solution for the purposes of the pilot project.

Figure 6 Potential Long-Term Entrance Station Reconfiguration for Shuttle-Priority Lane

Parking Management

Parking management is a tool that can be used to encourage use of the shuttle. One strategy to encourage use of the shuttle is to discourage long-stay parking at sites such as Windows and Devil’s Garden. This could be done through establishing parking limits at parking areas. If implemented, these limitations should be advertised to park visitors before they enter the park, in shuttle promotional materials and on park literature and the website.

Parking issues could arise at the Visitor Center parking lot if shuttle riders use it as another park-and-ride.

This can be discouraged through information in the shuttle materials about parking opportunities.

However, if it proves to be a problem, a time limit and enforcement may also be necessary at the Visitor Center lot.

Implementation of parking time limits would require enforcement. Strategies to address these enforcement requirements will need to be developed by the park. Existing staff may be able to cover these responsibilities as they will be spending less time managing traffic congestion after shuttle operations begin.