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.