FILE: Zion National Park operates a mandatory shuttle bus system for visitors to access the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive in Zion National Park, Utah.

Moab will soon be launching a long-discussed pilot shuttle for Arches National Park, allowing visitors to grab a fare-free bus from town to ride into and around the park. Proponents say the plan will ease congestion and support local business, but opposition to the project has become so bitter that nearly half of the Grand County Commission, the county’s legislative body, recently walked out of a meeting about how best to fund the proposal. 

Residents are similarly divided, and tensions in the tight-knit gateway town of 5,200 people have only grown in recent weeks.

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At every turn, votes related to the pilot have been split between opposing factions. Commission Chair Melodie McCandless, Vice Chair Bill Winfield, and Commissioners Mike McCurdy and Brian Martinez support the project and have largely overseen its development and implementation. The remainder of the commission, Trish Hedin, Mary McGann and Jacques Hadler, say the process has been needlessly rushed and have raised questions about the project’s cost, resourcing, liability and safety.

“The timeline is entirely self-imposed, and the rollout has been sloppy,” Hedin told SFGATE. “I would absolutely support a project like this, but it’s just been this shell game as to where the money is supposed to come from.”

FILE: Despite a timed entry, cars line up at the entrance to Arches National Park on Oct. 3, 2023, near Moab, Utah. 

The pilot was first proposed by Martinez and has been approved in stages throughout 2026. A shuttle program has been floated for Arches at least seven times........

© SFGate