Monumental Problem

EVELYN M. IDELSON of Washington wrote this letter to the editor which was in yesterday's Washington Post:

"The National Park Service is privatizing our national heritage ["Park Service Isn't Budging on Blossom Forecast," Metro, March 25]. Having closed Jefferson Memorial public parking for "security" reasons, it now has announced shuttle bus service from two public parking lots in East Potomac Park for cherry blossom tourists.

That sounds good, but Tourmobile, not the Park Service, will provide this service -- at $3 for adults and $1.50 for kids 12 and younger. This to travel 350 yards.

It is possible to walk from the parking lots to the Jefferson Memorial, but no path is well-defined (the Park Service could improve this access at minimum cost).

What contracting process produced such exorbitant fares? Congress should protect free public access to our national monuments."

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The National Park Service receives royalties from Tourmobile. By law, most of the revenues are supposed to go towards improvements for parks in the area served, in this case the parks on the National Mall and presumably in the National Capital Region. Given the continual budget pressures on NPS, you can see why they might choose to make transportation and planning decisions that promote Tourmobile as I imagine that this is an important source of funds for discretionary projects that might not otherwise be funded. This is one of the reasons that NPS hasn't been a big fan of the Downtown BID-DDOT Downtown Circulator Program.

Photo Copyright 2003 www.indospectrum.com. Buy a copy of this image at that website.

Right now, NPS is engaged in a Visitor Transportation Study for the National Mall. It's worth looking at and getting involved in the planning process for that study which will be going on for awhile.