As Americans prepare to hit the roads for the July 4^th holiday, a bipartisan group of Senators today introduced legislation designed to help ease traffic congestion and improve mobility and accessibility in our National Parks and Wildlife Refuges, while helping to protect our Nation’s natural resources. Led by Senator Paul S. Sarbanes (D-MD), the bill includes Senators Fred Thompson (R-TN), Max Baucus (D-MT), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Chris Dodd (D-CT), Charles Schumer (D-NY), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), and Jon Corzine (D-NJ) as original sponsors.

"Visitors traveling to America’s national parks have surpassed 287 million people a year – almost equal to one visit by every man, woman, and child in this country," said Sarbanes. "This has created an overwhelming demand on our national park and wildlife refuge system, resulting in resource degradation, severe traffic congestion, visitor restrictions and, in some instances, vacationers being shut out of park areas altogether."

The "Transit in Parks Act," or "TRIP" bill, would create a federal transit grant program to provide mass transit and alternative transportation services for our national parks, wildlife refuges, federal recreational areas, and other public lands.

Specifically, the "TRIP" initiative would authorize $65 million annually over the next six years, which would be provided to the federal land management agencies and their state and local partners. These agencies oversee the 379 various parks within the National Park System, which include national battlefields, monuments and national seashores, as well as the national wildlife refuges and other federal recreational facilities. The program will provide funds for transit projects, including rail or clean fuel bus projects, pedestrian and bike paths, or park waterway access, within or adjacent to these lands.

"Many families will have the unfortunate experience over the next several weeks of waiting in their cars with young children for several hours at the entrances to some of our national parks only to be told by park rangers that the park is full for the day," Sarbanes continued. "Families should not be trapped during their trips to our natural wonders because we are not implementing alternatives to ease these traffic bottlenecks. The ‘Transit in Parks Act’ recognizes that we need to do more than simply build roads; we must invest in alternative transportation solutions before our national parks are damaged beyond repair."

Project selection would not be limited to major national parks such as the Grand Canyon or Yellowstone, but would include the following criteria: the historical and cultural significance of a project; safety; and the extent to which the project would conserve resources, prevent adverse impacts, enhance the environment, improve mobility, and contribute to livable communities.

The American Public Transportation Association, the National Parks Conservation Association, Environmental Defense, Community Transportation Association of America, Friends of the Earth, National Association of Counties, American Planning Association, Surface Transportation Policy Project and others, support the bill.

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