The volume of cars steered each summer toward Mount Desert Island is a sign of plenty, but also a curse. The tourist economy thrives on the infusion of funds but the still picturesque roads, especially those in Acadia Naitonal Park, are choked with automobiles.

The island isn’t waiting for gridlock. It has an impressive plan with statewide, even national implications for managing vehicular traffic and human behavior.

An ambitious mass-transit program proposed by the Mount Desert Island League of Towns would move passengers from central parking areas to communities throughout the island by bus. If the league’s timetable can be met, the system might be operating as early as 1998. The goal is not to eliminate cars, but to relieve pressure on the road system.

Len Bobinchock, deputy superintendent at Acadia, described the objective succinctly. It is “to allow the tourist economy to sustain itself, but also to deal with increasing traffic problems.”

The island and park are a long way from reaching their saturation point with human beings, but the internal combustion congestion has officials and planners justifiably concerned. The remedy is available: mass transit that serves Mount Desert’s communities and its tourist attractions.

The three elements that will make it work are determination on the part of locals to develop a bus system, money in the form of state subsidy to jump-start the program, and retraining of tourists. The last could be the most difficult to achieve. It will take time.

Like the year-rounders on the island, visitors love their cars and consider them an indispensable part of their vacation. Learning to leave the automobile in the lot won’t be easy, but would produce a change in human behavior beneficial to tourists and those who serve them.

There could be new marketing opportunities for services and information. Visitors en route by bus might be apprised of available rooms in resort communities, the menus and prices at eateries, the best times to be waiting at the bus stop for a ride to their favorite attraction or the starting point for a long hike or climb.

More people on foot will benefit some businesses. Bicycle rentals could boom.

A more leisurely pace built around a convenient bus schedule would enhance the value of downtime on the island.

If traffic control becomes less of a preoccupation for managers, more management effort can be invested in planning directed at taking care of people and improving parks and their services.

America’s most inviting public areas, from Acadia to Baxter to the Grand Canyon, are endangered by their own appeal and accessibility. By limiting the number of cars that motor between scenic areas within parks, their managers can make room for more visitors, improve the atmosphere and preserve intangible qualities that make these places unique.