Yosemite Tries to Curtail Auto Traffic

Y O S E M I T E  N A T I O N A L  P A R K, Calif., May 9 -- The Yosemite Valley Plan, which aims to take the storied park into the 21st century, is in jeopardy.

Created after numerous public hearings, 11,000 public comments, and millions of dollars worth of research, the plan is being challenged by Rep. George Radanovich, who recently chaired yet another public hearing here.

"It was hastened to conclusion at the close of the Clinton administration and made it far more restrictive than it needs to be," said Radanovich, R-Calif.

Radanovich, who was recently named to head the House's national parks subcommittee, favors more usage of the park, not less.

The Yosemite Valley Plan doesn't discourage use, but it does try to curtail automobile traffic and congestion by severely reducing the number of parking places and by putting more people in buses.

"The public won't stand for that," Radanovich told ABCNEWS. "I think there will always be cars in Yosemite Valley."

How Many Is Too Many?

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For environmentalists concerned that Radanovich could force a congressional override of the plan, too many cars is exactly the problem.

As he stood in a parking lot at the foot of the spectacular Yosemite Falls, Jay Watson of the Wilderness Society wondered why it was so difficult to convince lawmakers to reduce parking and cars.

"Everyone who comes here has to walk through this crowded parking lot with horns honking before they even see the falls," he said.

The Yosemite Valley Plan mandates removal of the lot and calls for the 1,600 parking places in the park to be reduced to 550. Radanovich has no quarrel with ripping up the Yosemite Falls lot as long as parking places are added elsewhere. In all, he would prefer about 1,200 parking places in the valley and questions whether a shuttle bus system would be needed.

The parking issue is critical because it determines how many cars may ultimately be allowed in the park. The Yosemite Valley, made famous by photographer Ansel Adams, measures only 1 mile by 7 miles.