Tram begins parking fee "education"

[Norris]

I actually would not ming seeing the tram completely shut down, if it could be done in some way that would not cause a traumatic financial hardship to Palm Springs. The existence of the tram completely changes the character of the mountain (not for the better) by delivering hordes of tourists to Long Valley, and severely reduces the challenge and commitment required to do C2C or Snow creek. Imagine what it must have been like to do those routes in the days before the tram was built. I have often wondered what would happen if a significant earthquake were to occur on the San Andreas while the tram was in operation. The towers look pretty flimsy to me, I can't imagine they are built to the same standards as (for example) freeway overpasses. If the tram were to be held to appropriate earthquake safety standards it would probably have to close.

[cynthia23]

Hm, lot of issues raised in these last two posts. Zip, I'm not sure I completely understood the first part of your post--it sounded like (but maybe I misunderstood you?) that you are thinking that if they make people pay for parking, they won't have to run the shuttles? But won't they have to run the shuttles anyway since the upper parking lot is so small? I didn't understand what you were getting at re: the shuttles (my fault, I"m sure), so please clarify?

I think the main issue for me is not increased cost but increased hassle and wait time and air pollution.

The second issue you brought up really stunned me. Are you serious that the tram wants to get rid of people running and walking on the tram road? But then why did they put in the additional sidewalk? This is really hard to believe. If it's true, that's incredible. Their attempting to do that would cause complete havoc and anger in the community. What about the Tram Challenge? Surely they aren't THAT crazy and out of touch. Please tell us more, if you can.

As for the point Norris brings up--I do understand your point of view, though it's a more extreme one. I don't think the majority of the tourists do any real harm, though; what's more concerning is the harm that can be done to them. I am very worried about the Tram's total lack of earthquake preparedness. But that's a whole other post.

Anxious to hear more from Zip on his bombshell.

[zippetydude]

Hi Cynthia. I didn't mean to drop any bombs! Regarding the parking, what I meant was I had never realized how much they actually spend to shuttle people back and forth. Whenever I had driven up previously, it was usually at 5:00 a.m. to leave a car or bike for my return trip to the museum, so there was no one there. When I went up in the afternoon they were shuttling up and down hundreds of people and I realized the cost they must be incurring.

As for the last part of my post, it was just in idle conversation with one of the shuttle drivers. She seemed sympathetic to the tram not wanting people to bike up and down, saying the bikes presented a hazard to motorists and themselves. I don't know what her source was or if it's accurate at all. Hope not.

z

[neverwashasbeen]

In regards to keeping walkers and bicycles off the road, I've also heard that from Tram employees. The distinction was that it was off the road, not off the sidewalk.

[Norris]

I don't think the majority of the tourists do any real harm, though; what's more concerning is the harm that can be done to them. I am very worried about the Tram's total lack of earthquake preparedness. But that's a whole other post.

I agree, and I'm also concerned about the total lack of security. I doubt anyone on this board wants a TSA-like experience to board the tram, but on the other hand it seems like a ripe target for extremists to make a statement. But this is off-topic. More to the point, is the tram a private enterprise whose financial affairs are private, or is it possible to see any financial statements and understand what it costs to operate vs how much it brings in? I have always assumed it is quite profitable and generates a lot of revenue for the city of Palm Springs. Would like to know if the decision to charge for parking is driven by the need to cover costs or motivated by the desire to increase profitability...

[phydeux]

I'd be surprised if the price of the shuttle service was not considered in pricing decisions over the years the Tram has been operating; that would be poor management of the whole operation.

If they really want to raise more money why not just gradually increase the current ticket price for a ride, possilby $1/year? Suddenly socking customers with a new parking fee would make for a lot of unhappy users (example - the airline companies and their evergrowing list of add-on fees), and might actually decrease usage. A good example of this is what sports/concert venues do these days by including the price of parking in the purchase of a ticket; some even go further by allowing you to get front-row 'premium parking' for an extra fee.

As for security - they have it. After 9/11 they were pretty tight with anyone bringing a daypack or backpack onto a tram car. I went up on an October 2001 weekend backpack with a few friends and the tram staff wanted to search everyone's pack (!!!). The staff looked kind of confused as to what they should be doing, so we suggested they randomly choose one of our three packs for a search. That worked (and they really didn't look very deep inside). They still do an occasional search, but not to the extent they were doing in the confusing times right after 9/11. Caveat: I haven't been up there in over a year (medical issues) so I'm not sure what they're doing now.

[Florian]

Tramway security staff carry sidearms. I think this is second season they've been armed. They also look in packs and bags at the turnstile. They don't look very hard or deep. Someone could certainly sneak on a gun. And lots of campers and hikers carry knives and those are allowed.

-Florian

[Florian]

I am very worried about the Tram's total lack of earthquake preparedness. But that's a whole other post.

Hi Cynthia,

I'm curious what you base that comment on? I would think steel towers would stand up in an earthquake pretty well. It's concrete and brick structures that suffer the most damage. I'm pretty sure the tramway is under some sort of inspection or certification authority. Similar to how elevators need to be certified. Of course in something like a 7 or 8 mag quake where chunks of mtn are falling down that might be a problem.

If you do know something that we don't perhaps you should start a new post!

-Florian

[Ed]

It does seem like they have come up with the worst possible solution to the parking problem. A better one might have been to expand the free parking at the visitor's center, and have a shuttle service between there and the tram station, with a simple fee like a dollar per passenger for the shuttle.

[Florian]

A better one might have been to expand the free parking at the visitor's center, and have a shuttle service between there and the tram station

A shuttle from the visitor center is a GREAT idea! That would also enable access to the tram via public transportation.

-Florian