Dr. Dennis Foster - W.A. Franke College of Business

Grand CanyonTransportation Planning:

A Case Study in Public Choice Theory

Origins of a transit plan

1993 – Draft General Management Plan

New parking lots & voluntary shuttle in/out of park.

1995 – Final GMP

1997 – Mather Point Environmental Assessment

Remove most of parking inside the park.

All day use visitors to shuttle into the park.

1999 – Request for Proposals

Light rail as chosen outcome.

Flagstaff

Page & Lake Powell

Las Vegas

Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon area

Principal visitation areas of Grand Canyon.South Rim – Desert View to Hermits Rest

South Rim Village area –South Kaibab Trail to Bright Angel Trail.

South Rim –•Light rail transit network.•Buses to link rim pts.•Remove interior parking.•Build 3,041 space lot in Tusayan.

Redesign of Mather Point as transit terminus.

Redesign of main hotel area of South Rim Village.

Rational by the NPSTraffic congestion as a market failure.

Insufficient parking as a market failure (?)

Visitor orientation can be better managed.

Visitors can benefit from more public facilities and fewer commercial facilities.

Public Choice CritiqueIs this a public good?

Is this a market failure?

Are there externalities? Why?

Are there significant special interests here?

What rent-seeking behavior is expected?

Is the NPS able to adequately coordinate economic activity?

Public Choice Critique

What is the dimension of the problem?What is the dimension of the problem?

“6,000 cars vying for 3,000 spaces.”

Grand Canyon stats:-- 1900 mi2; village = 2 mi2.-- Too much for 4.5 million visitors?-- 25% arrive by bus/train.

NAU – 9,000 parking spaces (+/-)

Average Daily Traffic - 1999 (vehicles) & "Capacity"

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

3,500

Janu

ary

Febru

ary

Mar

chApr

ilM

ayJu

ne July

Augus

t

Septe

mbe

r

Octob

er

Novem

ber

Decem

ber

1999 "Capacity"

Parking in the South Rim Village area.

Public Choice Critique

Wii congestion be lessened?Wii congestion be lessened?

Visitors will now arrive on trains.

Visitors will arrive in groups at Mather Point.

Peak use of the system is likely toresemble metropolitan rush hoursubway use.

Congestion is rearranged and likely increased.

Actual & Projected Visitation

3,500,000

4,000,000

4,500,000

5,000,000

5,500,000

6,000,000

6,500,00019

87

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

0.8% Visitation growth 1.7% Visitation growth 2.75% Visitation growth

Actual 2011

Public Choice Critique

Will visitors find the quality of their Will visitors find the quality of their visit has improved with the light rail?visit has improved with the light rail?

Waiting in inclement weather.Waiting due to crowded trains/buses.Paying for taxis during off-peak times.Riding with backpackers.Keeping parties together.Getting strollers/bikes on board.Carrying cameras, purchases.

Public Choice Critique

Is there a “forced rider” problem?Is there a “forced rider” problem?

All the off-peak riders.

By season and by time of day.

Visitors along the East Rim Drive must pay.

“[F]olks who don’t want to use mass transit canbike or walk into the park.”

Do visitors need a period of transition?

““Visitors who have driven hours to get to Visitors who have driven hours to get to

the park should be allowed the park should be allowed a period of a period of

transitiontransition before viewing the great natural before viewing the great natural

spectacle of the Grand Canyon.”spectacle of the Grand Canyon.”

““Seeing the Grand Canyon out the Seeing the Grand Canyon out the

windshield of a car at Mather Point, windshield of a car at Mather Point,

however does not provide any transition however does not provide any transition

period.”period.”

““No impression of the place is more No impression of the place is more constantly invoked than the constantly invoked than the abruptness of its vision…The abruptness of its vision…The

contrast with other landscapes is contrast with other landscapes is profound.”profound.”

--Stephen J. Pyne; How the Canyon Became Grand

Public Choice CritiquePresence of pathological politics.Presence of pathological politics.

Who supports this? GC Railway!

Who supports this? Various eco groups!

Who supports this? Park Service planners!

The public supports this. Or do they?newspaper headlines…newspaper headlines…

“New poll supports Canyon light rail”--AZ Daily Sun, 3/6/97

“Arizonans strongly prefer replacing automobile traffic with mass transit in

Grand Canyon National Park.”--SRL press release, 3/6/97

--The survey question:

“To protect Grand Canyon National Park, by the year 2000 officials are proposing that no cars be allowed into the Park except for people staying at Park hotels. Automobile traffic will be replaced by mass transit. Do you agree or disagree with the proposal . . .”

Public Choice Critique

Will the NPS be an efficient provider?Will the NPS be an efficient provider?

Cost: $70 mill., $100 mill., $200 mill.

Gain = 1600 net parking spaces.

Note: More parking is unavoidable, train isn’t.

What if the rail employees unionize?

“A convenient, attractive, and energy-efficient transit system would serve the developed area.”

What is to be done?A Big Proposal

Remove the Villagearea from NPSjurisdiction !

Allow CoconinoCounty to regulate !

Amounts to some 6 to 8 square miles !

What is to be done?A Moderate Proposal

Run a train from Tusayan to the Village.

Utilize the airport for increased parking.

How much work would this take...?

…None; it has already been approved.

What is to be done?A Small Proposal

Develop Mather Point parking.

Leave Village parking intact.

Improve infrastructure.

Improve existing transit system.

• Cost: approx. $20 million.• Raise parking to 7,000 vehicles.

Aftermath: Aftermath: Like Osama bin Laden, the train is Like Osama bin Laden, the train is

deaddeadCongressional actions

No $ for the train.Must reconsider using buses.

2008 – South Rim Visitor Transportation Plan Environmental Assessment

Build parking at new visitor center!Leave parking in the village!Add voluntary shuttle to Tusayan!

New Visitors’ Center & Parking LotsNew Visitors’ Center & Parking Lots

Dr. Dennis Foster - W.A. Franke College of Business

Grand CanyonTransportation Planning:

A Case Study in Public Choice Theory