Monterey Herald: “The Problem With Parking at Point Lobos”
Conditions on Highway 1 near Point Lobos, reports the Monterey Herald. “have proven more severe and complex than mere traffic congestion. As vehicles circle the area in search of parking, pedestrians cross active lanes and walk along narrow shoulders of Highway 1. Perhaps most alarmingly, full shoulders and traffic in both directions leave emergency responders with no way to quickly reach the park on popular days.“
While the Herald rightfully points to the dangerous conditions near Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, unfortunately it conflates the cause of the dangers that pedestrians face while hiking from the highway to the Point Lobos entrance. “Many visitors [must] choose between illegal, often dangerous parking options close to the park’s entrance and half-mile or longer walks from Monastery Beach or other nearby destinations,“ writes reporter Tom Nolan. That misstates the facts.
Visitors who park legally on the highway face dangerous conditions and must often walk a mile or more to reach the state park, frequently forced into the roadway with vehicles traveling at highway speed. Illegal parking worsens those conditions but does not cause them.
Visitors to Point Lobos, a tax-payer funded public institution deserve safe access from the state highway to the Reserve’s legendary beauty. State and local officials must act urgently to take simple commonsense actions to prevent a child or other pedestrian forced to walk directly on Highway 1 from being struck by a vehicle.
KSBW Action News 8 Reports on “Outright dangerous conditions” at Point Lobos
Throngs of visitors walk along Highway 1 to reach Point Lobos.
Reporter Felix Cortez had the lead story about Point Lobos for KSBW News last night. He said that too much demand for too little parking in Point Lobos forces visitors to park on the highway, “causing traffic jams and outright, dangerous conditions for hikers.“
Cortez reviewed some recent actions by State Parks to reduce the severity of cars backing up into active traffic on Highway 1. And he pointed to the proposed shuttle system as a potential solution.
Cortez concluded his live report by saying the plan for the shuttle “is still being vetted out, and at this time, there's no time frame as to when and if that shuttle service might begin.“ (The application for the shuttle system was submitted to Monterey County in November of 2024 and is awaiting approval.)
A reservation system that would reduce the number of vehicles jamming up the highway as they jockey for entry to Point Lobos, is also part of that application pending at the County. This would also reduce the number of pedestrians forced into harm’s way as they walk from their cars to the Reserve’s entrance.
Please urge County officials to approve the application to bring meaningful traffic relief and much needed safety improvements.
“Carmel Pine Cone” Covers Crisis at Point Lobos
This week’s Carmel Pine Cone, the local paper for Carmel, CA mentioned the “traffic crisis” at Point Lobos on its front page. And ran an article about the advocacy effort encouraging stepped up action by government officials. (See page 11A.)
The Carmel Pine Cone covers the dangers on Highway 1 at Point Lobos
What People Are Saying (#1)
Someone from the Bay Area wrote to us to say, “Point Lobos is a jewel of the California coast. The current situation along Highway 1 is unsafe and unacceptable for a destination that attracts so many visitors. Improving the parking and pedestrian access would help prevent needless accidents and ensure people can safely enjoy this remarkable place.“
Local residents reaching out to us are sharing their thoughts about the safety crisis at Point Lobos…
“Please stop this madness,” implored one local. “Or, there could be a real bad situation for all of us who live here to deal with.”
“It’s not only on the weekends, its become horrible and dangerous 7 days a week,” observed another.
“The disorganization and confusion regarding entrance (open/closed/can we come in..?) impedes everyone and creates dangerous U-turns on a Hwy with clueless peds and motorists,“ said a resident of the Highlands neighborhood.
We will continue to share the feedback we receive from those who care about Point Lobos State Natural Reserve and those who visit it.
Meantime, gratitude to you for your interest in this important issue! And be sure to reach out to public officials!
What to Expect on the 4th of July Weekend
Point Lobos will be, as the kids say, crazy busy over the holiday weekend. If you are traveling south to the Reserve, you can anticipate frequent back ups (read: dead stop) for three miles. That traffic jam is likely to extend from Rio Road in Carmel to the Highlands neighborhood south of Point Lobos.
Parking will be extremely tight.
Some good news for visitors to Point Lobos: California Highway Patrol (CHP) has announced that it will step-up law enforcement around Point Lobos. Multiple safety agencies are expected to increase their patrols and ticketing of vehicles violating the law.
California State Parks peace officers along with Monterey County Sheriff and California Highway Patrol will be out in force for the holiday weekend.
Even with a few more law enforcement patrols swinging through the area, anticipate tight parking both inside the Reserve and all along the highway.
Reminders: There is no parking on the east side of the highway (across from Point Lobos). North of the entrance to Point Lobos all parking should be parallel to the road (hood pointed to the rear bumper of the car in front of you).
It’s State Parks Week
California State Parks Week (through June 14) is a great time to celebrate Point Lobos and to help make it better. Please take action to make the Reserve a safer, more pleasant place to visit. Thank you!