When Bad Roads are Good Roads

The first time I ever drove through Samuel P. Taylor State Park, it was a busy weekend about ten years ago. The road was narrow and bumpy, and there were pedestrians and bicyclists and parked cars everywhere. It was vibrant. You could tell it was a place people wanted to be. It was also sketchy. I was driving a friend's old truck, and I had to be careful. I had to go slow.

Here is what it used to sound like to drive on, recorded last September. Click "play" to hear a sound that is gone forever--the sound of going to the beach, if you grew up in San Geronimo Valley.

Now it is quiet. In 2013, Sir Francis Drake Boulevard through Samuel P. Taylor State Park was paved, and there was a celebration of this last month. And parking was prohibited along the sides of the road. You drive through and see few people, and except for a couple of spots, you can't even stop along the side of the road.

It is faster. The 30 mph speed limit seemed too high before, and now it seems too low, with the smooth, empty road.

And that seems to be the effect of straightening and paving roads. It makes people go faster. It makes more people come too, because they no longer have to worry about driving on that "terrible" road. And in a way, that makes the road terrible in a different way than it used to be--with more, faster traffic.

A few years ago, Caltrans wanted to widen Highway 395 along Mono Lake, and straighten a few curves. Luckily the plan was shelved. We were very close to losing another "bad" road. But sometimes curvy, "bad" roads are the most fun places to drive. Unfortunately, those kinds of arguments tend not to stop "progress."

One of the few places I know of that has an intentionally bad road is Bodie State Historic Park. The last three miles before you get to the park is dirt road. People complain about that. But people also have to slow down, experience a more adventurous and less familiar situation, and transition from the fast, busy, paved roads we are on every day to--something different. Something more compatible with the history being interpreted in the park. Something that makes us pay attention, and slow down.

The effort to limit access along Sir Francis Drake Blvd. in Samuel P. Taylor State Park is also noteworthy. Ostensibly it is to reduce erosion on the steep slopes between the edge of the road and Lagunitas Creek. Perhaps that is a good enough reason for ending parking along the shoulder, but it seems that since every available parking spot has been eliminated, there was not an effort to find a compromise. Except for the parking at Devil's Gulch, you have to pay to park at the campground area, or park outside the park. This is a very unwelcoming change.

I've seen this situation at other State Parks, and part of the motivation is to increase revenue by making people park where they must pay. That is understandable, especially in light of the financial troubles the park system has experienced in recent years. But individuals and families have financial troubles too, and there is rarely compromise. All the good parking spots are marked with "no parking" signs. Rarely is a single legal spot left within a short walk, even where it would seem appropriate to allow parking. The free parking option is totally foreclosed.

Normally I'm not a fan of encouraging people to drive, and charging for parking is one way to discourage that. But this no-compromise strategy is so unwelcoming to visitors, most of whom drive to these remote parks, that it really makes the State Parks seem unfriendly.

A related trend is eliminating parking to concentrate visitor use. The Inyo National Forest has recently done a lot of this on dirt roads, where spur roads have been eliminated. Again, there are good intentions behind this, but the strategy is rarely applied in moderation. All the best spurs for pulling off the road and dispersed camping are often closed. The effect is to limit access, limit the diversity of access opportunities, and limit the connection people have to the land.

Yosemite National Park is also embarking on a plan to eliminate parking along Tioga Road in Tuolumne Meadows, and concentrate the parking in lots. Anyone driving by the Cathedral Lakes Trailhead knows why--there are lots of cars and pedestrians and you have to slow down. It is vibrant. You can tell it is a place where people want to go.

But it is disorganized and must be controlled. "Human intrusions into views" (p. ES-11) must be eliminated, so people must stay in their cars. Alas, "progress" marches on.