Students are excited to arrive at Temescal Gateway Park. Transportation - Barrier to Access
Given the sprawling nature of Los Angeles and its lack of a comprehensive public transportation system, getting to sites in the Santa Monica Mountains can be particularly challenging. According to numerous studies, transportation is one of the major barriers to visiting parks and open space for urban visitors (Chavez 2001, Stanfield et al. 2005, Baur et al. 2007). Lack of both public transportation and reliable personal transportation is one of the very real physical barriers to our public open space for inner-city residents.
The Recreational Transit Program (RTP) is an umbrella program that addresses the barriers to parks caused by lack of access to transportation. Funded by a variety of sources, the RTP provides free or reduced cost transportation to groups and organizations that otherwise could not get to our mountain parks and programs offered by a variety of organizations
and agencies; regularly scheduled free trips to the mountains from specific urban locations and targeted transportation and programming for community partners. The MRCA has operated RTP for over 25 years.
The elements of the RTP are as follows:
Transit to Trails: The Transit to Trails program provides regularly scheduled, free trips to the parks and beaches of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area from several regular locations. The programs are staffed by an MRCA naturalist to provide a guided experience at the destination. Current locations for pick up are Washington Elementary School in Compton, Rio de Los Angeles State Park in East Los Angeles and Vista Hermosa Park in downtown Los Angeles
Charter Bus program: These are free or reduced costs buses for
specific schools or organizations that have arranged trips to mountain parks and/or programming but do not have the funding or access to transportation to get there. This program has been greatly reduced due to funding cuts. MRCA staff facilitates access to City funding by linking groups who need buses with their local elected officials who have some limited funding for this purpose.
Community Partner programs are developed interpretive programs that involve multiple events and trips to the mountains with specific targeted organizations. For example the MRCA offers junior ranger programs that include classes in the parks and overnight camping experiences to both the Compton Junior Posse and the Anahuak Youth Sports Association and partners in the Outward Bound “Teach Me to Camp” program. Transportation is a foundational element to these partnerships.
Chavez, L.R. Covering Immigration: Popular Images and the Politics of the Nation. University of California Press. 2001. Standfield, R., R. Manning, M. Budruk, and M. Floyd. Racial Discrimination in Parks and Outdoor Recreation: An Emprical Study. Proceedings fo the 2005 Northeastern Recreation Research Symposium. 2005. Baur, J., L.A. DiPrizio, N.A. Fernandes, Z. Fried, and J. Sellers. Parks, People and Partnerships. 2007.
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