FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts: Natalie Jolly, 650-625-6584, njolly@openspace.org
Midpen encourages visitors to opt for greener forms of transportation
Carpool parking lot pilot program to begin September 3
Los Altos, CA — The Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (Midpen) is expanding green transportation alternatives at Rancho San Antonio County Park & Open Space Preserve with the debut of several new programs designed to help manage parking demand at the popular area.
Beginning September 3, parking lot 1 will be limited to carpools of three or more individuals on weekends (Saturday and Sunday) and holidays. When in effect, the lot entrance will be monitored by seasonal ranger aides and enforced by ranger staff. ADA-accessible spaces and equestrian trailer parking will always remain available for visitors. Parking lot 1 is located at the Coyote Trail trailhead, immediately west of the park entrance.
In conjunction with the carpool pilot program, new signage has been installed at the park entrance that displays real-time space availability in the parking lots within the county park. This real-time information is also displayed on the Midpen website at openspace.org/rsa-parking, so that visitors can check parking availability before their visit.
“This one-year pilot program will help us measure the effectiveness of a dedicated carpool lot,” said Midpen Assistant General Manager Susanna Chan. “The preserve is a popular meeting place for friends and family to get together and enjoy the open space. We hope this carpool lot will encourage them to drive together and reduce the demand for parking.”
The new programs are part of an ongoing multimodal access project which began in 2018 to explore and evaluate non-motorized mobility, transit options and parking alternatives to encourage visitors to opt for greener forms of transportation and reduce parking demand and traffic, while maintaining equitable access for both local and regional visitors.
In addition to the new carpool lot and signage, Midpen has been encouraging visitors to use transportation alternatives, providing information online about bicycling and ride share options. The district is partnering with the Via-Cupertino Shuttle, which includes Rancho San Antonio as a stop for the on-demand shuttle service and recently began working with transportation consultants to develop plans for a low-cost shuttle and
subsidized ride hail programs.
Rancho San Antonio County Park is managed by Midpen through an operations and management agreement with the Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation Department.
For more information visit openspace.org/rsa-parking.