ARCHES NATIONAL PARK — The National Park Service has proposed solutions to the traffic congestion and overcrowded parking at Arches and Canyonlands National Parks and is asking for the public's feedback.

Visitation to Arches and Canyonlands National Parks has increased over the past decade and park officials project visitation will continue to increase 2-3 percent annually, Arches and Canyonlands National Park Superintendent Kate Cannon said in a news release. In 2014, more than 464,000 vehicles drove into Arches National Park, causing heavy congestion and parking areas that were over capacity during the peak season.

When the parking lots are full, visitors often park their vehicles along roadsides for long distances and walk in traffic to reach their destinations, Cannon said. Cars also stop in the road to wait for open parking spaces, impeding traffic flow.

"As a result, visitor safety is compromised, conflicts arise between visitors, roadside vegetation is damaged and the positive visitor experience is diminished," Cannon said in the news release.

After holding a public open house in January 2015, park officials created the Traffic Congestion Management Plan which offers proposals to help reduce the overcrowding and traffic congestion in the park.

"The purpose of the Traffic Congestion Management Plan is to explore ideas and identify solutions to solve these crowding problems," Cannon said in the news release. "The overall goal of the plan is to protect and enhance the current and future visitor experience in the parks while protecting park resources and values."

The National Park Service is seeking public feedback on the following 15 proposals:

Hire parking lot attendants

In this proposed idea for managing traffic and parking, staff members would be present in parking areas to efficiently and safely park visitors, according to the proposal. Parking lot attendants would be able to improve visitor experience by providing information about the park and could assist with parking vehicles more efficiently which would allow more visitors to see specific areas of the park.

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However, using people to manage parking lots would be time and cost intensive and would not create enough of a change to affect crowding at popular parking areas, the proposal said.

Offer an off-peak rate

A reduced rate could potentially entice visitors to go to the park during off-peak times of the day and season, resulting in less crowding. However, 60 percent of visitors currently enter the parks without paying an entrance fee due to federal passes and so the rate would not be an incentive for them, the proposal said. A reduced rate would also likely not be a large enough incentive for visitors to change their travel patterns.

Time-limited parking

This proposal would give hikers a limit to the time they spent in popular park destinations and would create a higher turnover of parking spaces. However, it would also force visitors to leave an area sooner than they had planned and there would be additional costs associated with enforcing the time limit.

Charge a fee for parking

In this proposal, a fee would be charged to park in some of the more popular parking lots via parking meters, pay kiosks or a gated booth.

Build more parking lots

This proposal would provide new or expanded parking areas throughout the park which would relieve the congestion of visitors waiting for parking spaces. However, it would increase the number of people at one attraction at a time which would increase crowding on the trails, the proposal said. It could also adversely affect the scenery and space for additional parking areas might not be available where it is needed.

Additional entrance booths

This proposal suggests building more entrance booths at the main park entrance or creating new formal entrances to the park at the Willow Springs and Salt Valley Roads in Arches National Park and the Potash Road in Canyonlands National Park.

A by-pass entrance lane

This would create a new entrance lane for visitors who have a park pass or are on a commercial bus tour or for park staff and emergency service vehicles. It would allow them to quickly enter the park. It would likely decrease delays and create shorter lines to get into the park, but would not solve crowding inside the park.

Shuttle service

The plan includes a proposal to utilize shuttle buses in transporting visitors from a park-and-ride lot to different destinations inside the park. Shuttles would potentially reduce the number of cars on the road and in parking areas, but they are very expensive to operate and maintain and create overcrowding on trails by dropping off large groups of people at the same time, the proposal said.

Timed-entry ticket

A timed-entry ticket would require visitors to get a ticket online for a certain time to enter the park. It would spread out the number of visitors during the day, but could create frustration if visitors didn't know they had to get a ticket online prior to entering the park. It would also add costs for needed infrastructure such as an online ticket system, staffed gates and enforcement.

Site-specific permit

This proposal would require visitors to get a site-specific permit for a specific area like Delicate Arch and Devils Garden. It would reduce the number of visitors at each attraction at one time, but it could create more crowding at sites that don't require permits.

Encourage visitation to less congested areas

This would "expand access to new areas via trails or developed areas in the parks such as La Sal Mountain Overlook, Courthouse Wash, Panorama Point, Salt Valley, Herdina and Eagle Parks," the proposal said.

New picnic areas

Creating more picnic areas in the park would remove visitors from "tailgating" in parking lots where many visitors stay and occupy a space to eat, the proposal said. It would also provide other areas that visitors could experience in the park. However, it wouldn't eliminate or solve all of the crowding at popular areas.

Restricting large RVs and trailers

This would decrease traffic congestion by eliminating large vehicles from the roadways and parking areas where they can't be accommodated, but would require an increase in staff to enforce the restrictions.

Expand or improve bicycle and pedestrian access

Creating better bicycle/pedestrian access would provide an alternative to driving vehicles in the park. However, current road configurations in both parks are insufficient "to provide continuous bicycle/pedestrian lanes due to terrain constraints and complexities," the proposal said.

Traveler information

This proposal would use message signs, park radio stations, mobile park apps, social media and other outlets to help inform visitors of crowding issues in the parks. It would help alert travelers to when the most crowded times are to visit the park so they could potentially adjust their travel plans.

Feedback must be submitted by Aug. 19. Comments can be submitted to a park website or mailed to the National Park Service Planning and Compliance Department at 2282 SW. Resource Blvd., Moab, Utah 84532.

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