San Benito County Tourism Advisory Committee members on Aug. 27 asked the Council of Governments transit director to explore park-and-ride and shuttle options to ease long entrance waits and parking shortages at Pinnacles National Park.

The request came during a committee discussion with Binu Abraham, executive director of the San Benito Council of Governments and Local Transportation Authority. Abraham told the committee he would take the group’s priorities back to LTA and return with targeted options and data.

Committee members said a park-and-ride site on agricultural district property (including the old golf course or Palada Park) and coordinated pick-up points in downtown Hollister and San Juan Bautista could both reduce parking pressure at the park and encourage visitors to spend time and money in the county. Mayor Jordan of San Juan Bautista and Mayor Stevens of Hollister agreed to engage with the agricultural district and city staff; Abraham agreed to bring back analyses of costs, service frequency and grant opportunities.

“Park and ride — wonderful idea,” Abraham said. “The success of a park and ride depends on what things you can add to the destination once you park your car and get out of your car.” He added that technology such as parking reservations and scheduling tools could change visitor behavior and that transit grants for innovation are often available in California.

Supervisor Kozmicki said parking at Pinnacles is limited and that a shuttle system is likely a longer-term solution than adding more parking lots inside the park. Commissioner Pillsbury and others suggested locating transit stops and marketing points in city centers so visitors can shop and dine before or after visiting the park.

Public commenters backed the idea. Irene from Business San Benito County said she had discussed Palada Park with the agricultural district and that the site already has “plenty of parking,” making it a promising park-and-ride location. Small-business owner and former advisory member Peter Hernandez urged the committee to link any park-and-ride to downtown welcome centers and local businesses.

Committee members and staff identified several data needs before designing service: peak days and hours (weekends and seasonal spikes were repeatedly mentioned), likely ridership, vehicle access and road-condition constraints on Highway 25, and capital and operating cost estimates. Abraham said LTA has secured roughly $10 million for transit in recent years but does not currently have buses or funding to start a new service immediately; planning and grant applications would be the near-term steps.

The committee concluded with direction rather than a formal vote: Mayor Stevens, Mayor Jordan and Abraham were asked to start outreach to the San Benito County Agricultural District, city staff and Pinnacles National Park; Abraham will return with a proposal that includes service scenarios, projected costs, scheduling options (weekend-first pilots, seasonal ramp-up) and potential grant sources.

The discussion is intended to inform a later, formal proposal to LTA for funding and service design, not to authorize procurement or start service immediately.

Ending

Committee members signaled broad support for further study and coordination with the park and agricultural district, and requested that Abraham return with data-driven options and recommended next steps.