How can the park service balance the delicate desert ecosystem of Joshua Tree National Park with the more than two million visitors expected to roll through in 2016? Assignment reporter Mike Lipsitz tells us there’s a plan in the works that could offer relief to tourists and terrain….
Morongo Basin Transit Authority General Manager Mark Goodale has been busy working out the details of a pilot program aimed at getting visitors to the National Park out of their cars and onto mass transit. Following the conclusions of a feasibility study last month, the MBTA Board voted to move forward on a plan that would have two buses shuttle park visitors from downtown Twentynine Palms and Joshua Tree to a hub inside the park. Passengers would transfer to either of two additional buses that would run continuously during peak season and hours stopping at major points of interest. Goodale is working toward a November 1 target for launch of the Friday through Sunday seasonal service. A rider fare has yet to be determined, and some of the costs will be defrayed with funds from the National Park, City of Twentynine Palms, and the county.
MBTA AND JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK WORKING ON VISITOR TRANSPORTATION PLAN
