EDITORIAL: Shuttle success story, with asterisk

More than 1.9 million visitors passed through Glacier National Park this summer, making June, July and August the busiest three-month stretch in the park’s history.

Many of those visitors — 207,554 to be exact — elected to utilize the park’s free shuttle system to access trailheads or simply take in the views without the distractions of navigating the narrow and winding Going-to-the-Sun Road. It’s the first time ridership has surpassed the 200,000 threshold since the shuttle system launched nearly a decade ago.

The initial intent of the shuttle system was to help reduce traffic and congestion along the Sun Road, but that hasn’t necessarily worked out as envisioned. As visitation has increased, the park’s main travel artery has become more and more congested with parking lots and pullouts often at capacity during the busiest summer months.

And while the shuttle has certainly helped take vehicles off the road, it’s also contributed to adding more people at popular destinations like Logan Pass and Avalanche Lake where crowds were once limited by parking-lot capacity.

Additionally, wait times for the shuttle this summer were as long as three hours at the height of the tourist season, a frustrating experience for hungry and tired hikers.

There’s plenty for park officials to sort through in determining how the shuttle system best fits into Glacier’s future. Whether the shuttle system should be expanded, eliminated or something in between should be given major consideration as the park works through its Sun Road management plan in the coming year.

FVCC enrollment boost

Congratulations to Flathead Valley Community College for experiencing a solid increase in enrollment this year.

The college reported enrollment of 1,396 full-time students, which represents a 1.7 percent increase. Even more impressive is the total enrollment 0f 2,263, as that represents an increase of 4.3 percent compared to previous year.

Any way you slice it, FVCC has consistently proven its importance to the local community. As a matter of fact, the last big jump in enrollment in 2010 came about because so many locals depended on the college for training and education in the wake of the 2008 recession.

For both traditional students and non-traditional students returning to college, Flathead Valley Community College is an invaluable resource.