Parks’ push to ease the squeeze at Cradle Mountain

TOURISTS visiting Cradle Mountain have lent their support to the push to limit traffic to the site as surging visitor numbers present access and safety challenges.

CRADLE Mountain is at a crossroads with surging visitor numbers presenting access and safety challenges.

The Parks and Wildlife Service is working to address traffic issues before new developments to improve the tourist experience get under way, and from October 22 private vehicles will be banned on the road to Dove Lake during the busiest times of the day.

PARK’S NO PARKING PUSH FOR MOUNTAIN ROAD

Thousands of tourists visited the national park on Tuesday and those the Mercury spoke to said they supported taking private vehicles off the road in favour of bigger hybrid shuttle buses.

Driving the narrow, winding road from the ranger’s station into Dove Lake is challenging. The person behind the wheel has little time to admire the scenery between pulling over for other cars, shuttle buses and tour coaches.

Cradle Coast Tours operator Howard Smith says the Dove Lake viewing platform will be a great addition for tourists. Picture: CHRIS KIDD

From late October commercial vehicle operators will be required to use UHF radios to stay in contact with the fleet of 50-seat shuttle buses about to start service.

Howard Smith, from Cradle Coast Tours, said he already used a radio while driving to stay on top of traffic conditions and was ready to continue taking tourists into Dove Lake three or four times a week under the new rules.

Private cars and a shuttle bus squeeze past each other on the narrow winding road into Dove Lake. Picture: CHRIS KIDD

He is also very supportive of the construction of a new viewing facility planned for Dove Lake which will allow visitors to take in the view out of the elements.

“The Dove Lake viewing building will be marvellous,” Mr Smith said.

“People pay to get into the park but then find when they get to Dove Lake they cannot get out of the car due to the weather,” Mr Smith said. “This will prove very popular.”

PWS said it was also considering whether bicycles will also be banned from the narrow link road.

Italian tourists Maurizio Eusebi and Giulia Sanchirico, who took the shuttle bus into Dove Lake, said they thought limiting traffic to the attraction was a good idea.

“Not every driver is up to navigating that road, especially tourists, and it really is no big deal to catch the bus. It lets you sit back and see what you came to see rather than dodge traffic,” Mr Eusebi said.

Maurizio Eusebi, left, and Giulia Sanchirico took the shuttle bus to Dove Lake and support the move to take private vehicles off the access road. Picture: CHRIS KIDD

The number of visitors coming to the World Heritage Wilderness Area has been steadily climbing by 16 per cent per annum since 2011 and almost 270,000 people now visit each year. On peak days in summer there can be 3000 people in the national park at one time.

“Clearly we have some issues with visitor growth,” a Parks and Wildlife spokesman told an information session at Cradle Mountain on Tuesday.

“We are not doing as well as we could in what is one of the world’s premier wilderness destinations.”

Architect Peter Walker speaks at the public information session about the Dove Lake developments at Cradle Mountain. Picture: CHRIS KIDD

The spokesman said the visitor profile had also changed significantly.

Cradle Mountain was once the realm of experienced bushwalkers ready to rough it in the wilderness.

Now visitors are arriving in their “city clothes” to explore what is remote alpine country.

“Visitors are less capable today than 30 years ago. We need to give them the best experience we can, do it safely and future-proof Cradle Mountain, as forecasting shows it could soon host up to 400,000 visitors per annum,” he said.