The Committee on Transportation Needs for National Parks and Public Lands was established by the Transportation Research Board to serve as a national forum for transportation issues and public use as they relate to the management and conservation of the natural, cultural and scenic values of the national parks and other federal public lands.

Visitation to the national parks and other federal public lands has increased significantly in recent years. The increased number of motor vehicles being used to transport visitors to these federal lands has added to the management challenges being posed to the federal land managers. Increased development, congestion and air pollution, associated with increased public visitation, can impact the natural, cultural and scenic resources of the public federal lands if adequate planning is not undertaken.

Protecting the natural, cultural and scenic resources while providing safe and enjoyable access to and within the federal public lands is one of the greatest challenges being faced by all federal land managers. Since transportation is the "crosswalk" between resource protection and visitor enjoyment, urgent and bold action is needed to develop and improve transportation management plans for the federal public lands and their gateway communities.

The Committee encourages research into topics related to recreational use of the federal public lands. Through proactively identifying and defining the role of transportation in addressing resource management issues related to the national parks and other federal public lands, the Committee will foster research that will protect the natural, cultural and scenic resources while providing opportunities for the increasing recreational opportunities on the federal public lands.

Committee Mission

The Mission of the Transportation Needs of the National Parks and Public Lands Committee is to provide a national forum for transportation issues related to the conservation of the scenery, the cultural and natural resources and to the quality of the visitor experience in national parks and public lands. The Committee advances research into these issues and disseminates the results throughout the world. Through proactively identifying and defining preservation and interpretation issues, the Committee will become a recognized leader for the transportation community.

Committee Purpose

The purpose of the Committee is:

To examine the role of transportation in providing desirable and enjoyable visitor access to and mobility within the National Parks, Federal Lands, and other public lands while furthering the mission of the managing public agency.

To study alternative techniques, technologies and implementation methods that show promise in serving park related travel demand.

To promote research that identifies and facilitates the emplacement of multimodal systems, both motorized and non-motorized, that serves the unique mix of cultural, natural, and recreational values of each park and land unit.

To better understand the complex relationship between park visitor travel, statewide recreational travel and national and international tourist travel.

To investigate the role of the many public and private planning, funding, and managing institutions at all levels, in the development of alternative transportation systems in parks and public lands.

Committee Membership

The current membership consists of representatives from the public sector, private sector and academia. Additional individuals are solicited for membership to the committee to fill vacancies, replace inactive members, and to add representatives of constituencies not currently represented.