Planning Commissioners advance Point Lobos ParkIT! shuttle plan to address traffic and safety.

Plans for the ParkIT! shuttle, a potential solution to the growing traffic congestion near Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, moved another step forward. 

Monterey County planning commissioners voted unanimously Oct. 14 to approve the project, which includes a reservation system that visitors could book online or by phone, as well as an entrance fee. It also includes a shuttle service between Point Lobos and Marathon Flats, near the intersection of Highway 1 and Rio Road, along with a 100-space parking lot, fences and a ticket machine. 

Staff plan to return to the planning commission with a final access management plan, conducted by State Parks, which will include the reservation schedule and finalized numbers. That date has not yet been set.

“We have the opportunity to try something rather than speculate how something might work,” said Commissioner Martha Diehl at the meeting. “And I really am of the opinion that it's long overdue to try the best shot we've got, and if we don't like it, come back and do something different later.”

Although details could change, the plan proposes 2,055 reservation slots per day: 1,215 for parking inside the reserve, 540 for parking at Marathon Flats and shuttle service to and from the reserve, and 300 for visitors arriving on foot or by bicycle. Current parking fees at Point Lobos are $10 for general admission, but it has not yet been confirmed whether the entry fee would stay the same.

Additionally, reservations would be released in three batches: 50 percent three to four months ahead, 25 percent 48-72 hours ahead and 25 percent for same-day visits. Up to 25 percent of walk-in and bike-in reservations would be free in addition to existing free or reduced-cost programs available through the library and Golden Bear passes.

The shuttle would bring people from Marathon Flats, where the 100-stall parking area would be located, to the reserve. Under SB 178, a public resources trailer bill, $150,000 has been allocated to the Department of Parks and Recreation to pay for consultants and planning support to continue developing the Point Lobos plan. 

The project has been long in the making. The ParkIT! shuttle concept is a community-based initiative launched in 2018 to deal with the growing traffic concerns in the Highway 1 corridor between Carmel to Big Sur.

State Parks staff noted that the visitation to the area has increased up to 100,000 visitors every year. According to John Hiles, manager of the Monterey Sector of State Parks, concerns about rising visitation date back to 1979 when the reserve’s General Plan raised alarms about the trend. This year visitation is expected to reach 1 million.

“There is traffic there constantly, daily,” said George Nunez, West Division chief with Cal Fire’s San Benito-Monterey Unit. “It's not weekends only. It is every day. One day someone is going to wind up in a very bad situation.”

Residents, representatives from Caltrans and the Big Sur Land Trust, emergency responders and the president of the Malpaso Creek Property Association spoke in favor of the project during public comment, citing longstanding safety concerns and the strain that visitor traffic is placing on Point Lobos and the region.

Opponents included a spokesperson for the California Coastal Commission and nearby residents, who raised concerns about whether the plan would preserve public access and adequately address the underlying problems. One commenter, a local resident, also raised concerns about flooding at Marathon Flats.

Planning commissioners pointed out the distinction between a state park and a state natural reserve, noting that the designations prioritize different uses and protections. As discussed at the meeting, state parks prioritize public access and recreations while a natural reserve places a greater emphasis on protecting natural resources. 

“It's not access versus protection. We’ve got to do both,” Diehl said. “All of this discussion is about something that is the first thing anybody's proposed to try in 40, 50 years, and nothing in it is irreversible.”