Reducing the Waiting Time to Enter National Parks: Service Times and Capacity at National Park Entrance Stations

摘要

As many recreational tourists know, long queues of vehicles at Park entrance stations during peak season is a problem for many National Parks and Monuments. In some instances, on holiday weekends, the lines are known to extend one mile or more. This paper presents information on the capacity of entrance stations as determined from data collected at Arches National Park in Utah, supplemented by data collected at Grand Canyon National Park. At Arches National Park the capacity of an entrance station lane is 112 vehicles per hour. This value can be used as a general guide by other Parks. The service time per vehicle at a Park entrance station will vary from Park to Park depending upon: 1) the proportion of visitors who hold a previously purchased pass (short transaction time); 2) the amount of printed information and safety advisories given to the visitor; 3) the proximity of a visitor center at which the visitor could ask questions, and 4) other factors discussed in this paper. The capacity of an entrance station lane is important and useful information to the National Park Service. Capacity information is useful in analyzing: the number of needed lanes at an entrance station; the benefits of a lane dedicated to automated entry; and other possible solutions to the queueing problem. Five National Parks have implemented automated lanes at entrance stations. This paper also provides a brief overview of the operation of automated lanes.