After a two-year run, the San Mateo County Parks weekend shuttle service’s last day will be Sunday due to declining ridership on the two routes running from Menlo Park and East Palo Alto to Edgewood and Wunderlich parks, with stops in Redwood City and unincorporated North Fair Oaks.
After transporting hundreds of Peninsula residents to Edgewood and Wunderlich parks, the San Mateo County Parks Department will wind down its weekend shuttle service Sunday following a two-year run.
Launched in 2016 to reduce the barriers residents in parts of East Palo Alto, the east side of Menlo Park and unincorporated North Fair Oaks were facing in accessing county parks, the shuttle’s ridership declined in its second year of service, explained county parks spokeswoman Carla Schoof. In its first year, the shuttle transported 386 riders arriving and departing from the parks in 67 days of service, and transported 434 riders of the same group in its second year, which included 103 days of service, said Schoof. In both years, the shuttle transported an average of 43 riders each month, she said.
She said officials plan to continue exploring ways to partner with community groups and support trips to county parks from neighborhoods where fewer residents own cars, but they will no longer pursue grants to fund the service and will discontinue it after Aug. 26.
Courtesy of San Mateo County Parks
A study launched more than two years ago to understand the barriers for county residents who weren’t visiting parks revealed that nearly 20 percent of residents in areas like Daly City, East Palo Alto, the Belle Haven neighborhood of Menlo Park and unincorporated North Fair Oaks don’t own cars, said Schoof. Because Edgewood and Wunderlich parks are several miles away from those neighborhoods, the study sparked interest among officials to find ways to make the parks accessible to those who hadn’t explored them as frequently.
“We want those folks to be there just as much as the folks who already know about the parks and use them,” she said.
Schoof said officials worked with community groups such as the Siena Youth Center in North Fair Oaks as well as the Ravenswood Family Health Center and the East Palo Alto Library to spread the word about the shuttle’s two routes, which stem from East Palo Alto and Menlo Park and made stops at the Fair Oaks Community Center and downtown Redwood City before arriving at the two parks.
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She said officials and the community groups who supported the shuttle are hoping to build on the success they had in introducing many new visitors to the parks and develop other ways to support trips such as educational field trips or as part of a health and nutrition program.
“We’re definitely looking at building upon the relationships that we already have,” she said.
Even with some $200,000 in funds from the San Mateo County Transportation Authority and additional funds from the San Mateo County Parks Foundation and Measure K to support the two-year program, Schoof said the cost of operating the shuttle combined with its declining ridership motivated officials to stop offering the shuttle and search for other ways of transporting residents to parks instead.
“It takes time to inspire people to do something different,” she said. “It takes a significant amount of effort as well as time and you typically don’t see that in two years.”
The last day of service for the San Mateo County Park Shuttle will be Aug. 26. Visit parks.smcgov.org/ParkShuttle for more information.
Edgewood experiences a severe parking shortage in the spring when people want to see the wildflowers. Perhaps the shuttle should be offered only in April and May. Parking at Wunderlich can be a problem all year because there isn't enough parking.
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Edgewood experiences a severe parking shortage in the spring when people want to see the wildflowers. Perhaps the shuttle should be offered only in April and May. Parking at Wunderlich can be a problem all year because there isn't enough parking.
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