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Photo copyright 2006 Jonathan Upchurch
BUILD IT AND THEY WILL COME:
IMPLEMENTING PARKING IMPROVEMENTS AT GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK
JONATHAN UPCHURCH
TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING CONSULTANT
PRESENTED TO
ITE WESTERN DISTRICT ANNUAL MEETING
JUNE, 2012
“If you build it,
he will come”
BUILD IT AND THEY WILL COME:
IMPLEMENTING PARKING IMPROVEMENTS AT GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK
JONATHAN UPCHURCH
TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING CONSULTANT
PRESENTED TO
ITE WESTERN DISTRICT ANNUAL MEETING
JUNE, 2012
Crossing Rio Puerco River, New Mexico on way to Grand Canyon - 1903
First Passenger Train – September 17, 1901
First Automobile, Grandview Point, January 12, 1902
1914
4.4 MILLION VISITORS PER YEAR
RANKS SECOND AMONG 58 NATIONAL PARKS
• 90% of visitors travel to the South Rim– 80% arrive through the South Entrance– 14% arrive through East Entrance– 6% arrive by train
• Nearly all go to the Grand Canyon Village
New Mather Point parking area - 1954
In 1955 …
GRAND CANYON SOUTH RIM
MAY 26, 2002
Improper parking along roadsides results in safety risks, resource damage, and poor visitor experience
• Parking demand exceeds supply– Improper parking along roadsides
464 + 110
• Canyon View Information Plaza (CVIP) is underutilized– Less than half of visitors
access CVIP– Visitor frustration– No visitor parking
What are the issues?
What are the Issues?
Crowding; waiting lines; traffic, parking, and Shuttle Bus congestion
Poor visitor experience
FIGURE 5 - NUMBER OF VEHICLES ENTERING GRAND CANYON SOUTH ENTRANCE STATION BY DAY
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
60001/
1
1/15
1/29
2/12
2/26
3/12
3/26 4/
9
4/23 5/
7
5/21 6/
4
6/18 7/
2
7/16
7/30
8/13
8/27
9/10
9/24
10/8
10/2
2
11/5
11/1
9
12/3
12/1
7
12/3
1
DATE
DESIGN DAY
3 NEW PARKING LOTS OPENED FOR THANKSGIVING, 2009
FIGURE 5 - NUMBER OF VEHICLES ENTERING GRAND CANYON SOUTH ENTRANCE STATION BY DAY
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
60001/
1
1/15
1/29
2/12
2/26
3/12
3/26 4/
9
4/23 5/
7
5/21 6/
4
6/18 7/
2
7/16
7/30
8/13
8/27
9/10
9/24
10/8
10/2
2
11/5
11/1
9
12/3
12/1
7
12/3
1
DATE
DESIGN DAY
3 NEW PARKING LOTS OPENED FOR THANKSGIVING, 2009
VISITATION 9 PERCENT BELOW AVERAGE SUMMER DAY
DAY BEFORE EASTER, 2010
DAY BEFORE EASTER, 2010
DAY BEFORE EASTER, 2010
PARKING DURATION
2006 1 HOUR 3 MINUTES
PARKING DURATION
2006 1 HOUR 3 MINUTES
MODEL 1 HOUR 50 MINUTES
PARKING DURATION
2006 1 HOUR 3 MINUTES
MODEL 1 HOUR 50 MINUTES
OBSERVED – 2010 2:15 TO 2:30
PERCENT OF THOSE PARKING WHO RIDE SHUTTLE BUS
MODEL 5 PERCENT
PERCENT OF THOSE PARKING WHO RIDE SHUTTLE BUS
MODEL 5 PERCENT
OBSERVED – 2010 1/4 TO 1/2
VISITOR BEHAVIOR HAS CHANGED
265 MORE PARKING SPACES ADDED
ADDITIONAL SERVICES THAT WILL INCREASE PARKING DURATION
ITE Journal, January, 2011
Photo copyright 2006 Jonathan Upchurch
Historic photos courtesy of the Grand Canyon Museum Collection
Grand Canyon National Park - Annual Parkwide VisitationActual Counts 1980 - 2005 and Visitation Forecast to 2020
1997 4,852 2010
4,562
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030
Year
An
nu
al V
isit
s (
1,0
00
)
Actual Annual Visitation Forecast Annual Visitation
23% Annual Visitation Growth 2005 - 2020
5.48 million visitors in 2020
4.47 million visitors in 2005
FIGURE 5 - NUMBER OF VEHICLES ENTERING GRAND CANYON SOUTH ENTRANCE STATION BY DAY
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
60001/
1
1/15
1/29
2/12
2/26
3/12
3/26 4/
9
4/23 5/
7
5/21 6/
4
6/18 7/
2
7/16
7/30
8/13
8/27
9/10
9/24
10/8
10/2
2
11/5
11/1
9
12/3
12/1
7
12/3
1
DATE
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