Bar Harbor’s options?

The rollout of the 511 Transportation Information System and the Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce’s reaction to it has been cause for much discussion lately. There has been so much misinformation and editorial comment that I felt it was important to clarify our initial concerns.

There were concerns about the piece of the 511 system that posts alerts about traffic congestion, accidents and construction. We were specifically interested in what alternative routes were to be given the visitor and commuter after being alerted against using Routes 1 and 3.

While accidents and construction conditions are objective, the warnings about congestion conditions are subjective. There was an apprehension as to the criteria used for posting alerts as well as how long the congestion alerts would remain on these coastal routes.

We felt it was important that the small businesses along and at the end of these routes be informed and involved in the 511 process. And finally, as far as Acadia National Park was involved, we inquired about the relevance of telling visitors that the parking lots in Acadia were full while they were planning their trip or still hours away from the park.

The failing as we saw it in the 511 alerting section of the system is that it tells the visitors and commuters about all of the problems Maine has with congestion and construction yet we offer them no real solutions. We have no alternative routes. What is the alternative route to the island when Route 3 is posted as congested? Will the alerts on Route 1 encourage visitors to take I-95 bypassing the coastal communities?

Ultimately how does this information help the visitor if the congestion of I-95, Route 1 and Route 3 cannot really be avoided by taking alternative routes in the peak summer season of Maine? Those are all valid questions we would have liked answered well before the rollout but we were not given the opportunity to comment.

There is another point of confusion that needs clarification. 511 is not the Acadia ITS System. The State 511 system tapped into the Acadia ITS system, but the two programs’ utilizations are separate and distinct as far as the local island Chambers are concerned. We have always supported the local system and its information about the capacity of the Island Explorer buses and times they are running.

That is valuable onsite visitor and commuter information that provides solutions for them. However, telling visitors planning a trip or traveling up the coast that the Acadia National Park parking lots are full in that moment of inquiry gives a distorted picture and may discourage them from coming at all.

The important lesson here is that public policy projects need to have all of the stakeholders involved from start to finish. What one person sees as congestion another sees as their payroll being met or rent being paid. Whether or not you like tourism-based economies a close look at the state and local budget cuts would indicate that this is not the year to make any sweeping changes that may discourage tourism in Maine.

Change does make a difference. The removal of one blue informational sign last year in Bar Harbor was felt by business on that street by an immediate 20 percent drop-off in business. When the sign was put back, business bounced back. People will argue that this 511 system would not affect the businesses in Bar Harbor and we can agree to disagree about that. However, the fact remains the small business owners will be the first to be impacted by this project so they shouldn’t have been the last to be told.

Clare M. Bingham is executive director of the Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce.