"Snowbound" travelers

It’s that time of year when people are on the move – flying and driving to see their families wherever they may be.  The local TV news station generally has someone stationed at the airport – ready to report on the travel chaos.  And inevitably there is a story about someone taking a wrong turn and getting lost and stuck in snow on a forest service road.  Most recently, this happened to an ASU student who “did not know that she ventured onto an unpaved forest road that is nearly impossible to navigate in the winter.” [Snowbound student]  The student survived but often these stories end in tragedies.

The Travel Management Planning process that the Forest Service is undertaking provides an opportunity to consider traveler safety along with recreational access, administrative uses, environmental impacts and maintenance costs when analyzing their roads.  Rightsizing the road network to one that the Forest Service can afford to maintain in a safe condition for vehicle use might help the public navigate the maze a little better. Granted, these stories won’t completely disappear, but this is an opportunity to plan a system that is a whole lot better than it is now.