[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 15 (Tuesday, January 23, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7506-7507]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-1878]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


60 Day Notice of Intention To Request Clearance of Collection of 
Information; Opportunity for Public Comment

AGENCY: National Park Service, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, 
Department of the Interior.

ACTION:  Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) is a national 
park which comprises over 76,000 acres of coastal lands spanning three 
California counties: Marin, San Francisco and San Mateo. GGNRA, in 
partnership with Marin County, is proposing to conduct survey 
interviews by telephone and intercept surveys in person to identify the 
market viability of alternative methods of getting visitors to five 
park sites in Marin County. Postcard mail-back surveys will also be 
used to determine the origin and destination (O-D) and other trip 
characteristics of people driving though the most congested local roads 
leading up to the park sites. The surveys will be conducted as part of 
a Comprehensive Transportation Management Plan for an area that 
includes Muir Woods, Muir Beach, Tennessee Valley, Stinson Beach and 
Mt. Tamalpais State Park. All but Mt. Tamalpais State Park are part of 
the GGNRA. The results of these surveys will be used to develop and 
test alternative plans for transit or shuttle services to one or more 
of the park sites or between park sites.

[[Page 7507]]



------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                  Estimated numbers of
                                               -------------------------
                                                                Burden
                                                 Responses      hours
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Marin Parklands CTMP: Telephone Interviews....          800          200
Marin Parklands CTMP: Tourist Intercept Survey          800          200
Marin Parklands CTMP: Postcard O-D Survey.....          400          100
                                               -------------------------
    Total.....................................        1,600          133
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Under provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and 5 CFR 
part 1320, Reporting and Record Keeping Requirements, the National Park 
Service (NPS) is soliciting comments on: (a) Whether the collection of 
information is necessary for such a reliable and valid market analyses 
and to support the proper performance of the functions of the GGNRA and 
Marin County in evaluating the best alternative operations in the 
interest of the government and the general public, including whether 
the information will have practical utility: (b) the accuracy of the 
NPS estimate of the burden of the collection of information, including 
the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (c) the quality, 
utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) how to 
minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are 
to respond, while maintaining an unbiased sample, including the use of 
appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other forms of 
information technology.

DATES: Public comments will be accepted on or before March 26, 2001.
    Send Comments to: GGNRA, Attn. Mike Savidge, Bay and Franklin St., 
Bldg. 201, Ft. Mason, San Francisco, CA 94123.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mike Savidge at (415) 561-4725 or 
Jennifer Coile at (415) 561-4933.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title: Scope of Work for Marin Parklands 
Comprehensive Transportation Management Plan.
    Bureau Form Number: None.
    OMB Number: To be requested.
    Expiration Date of Approval: To be requested.
    Type of Request: Request for new clearance.
    Description of Need: The Metropolitan Transportation Commission 
(MTC) of the San Francisco Bay Area has identified updated data 
collection and surveys of this nature as critical to the foundation of 
improving alternative transportation access to GGNRA and state park 
sits in the Bay Area, and particularly to the feasibility of developing 
a potential shuttle service to park sites. GGNRA has also been 
identified as one of five national park demonstration sites to improve 
alternative transportation access through a coordinated program with 
the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) because of its over 15 
million visitors per year. To support these efforts, GGNRA needs 
information to better develop ridership potential to alternate park 
sites, and to determine the specific market feasibility and operational 
plans for alternative modes of access to the Marin Parklands sites. 
Such a need was identified in a GGNRA Travel Study completed in 1977 
and remains today. GGNRA and Marin County seek to acquire this 
information in order to plan for increasing alternative access modes to 
the five park sites and to reduce the congestion on the local roadway 
corridors to park sites that presently results in traffic delays for 
visitors and other residents.
    Automated Data Collection: At the present time, there is no 
automated way to gather this information, since the information 
gathering process involves asking tourists and/or the general public to 
identify characteristics, use patterns, expectations, preferences and 
perceptions that are relevant to a study of alternative park access 
modes and services. Computerized responses could not be controlled for 
bias as intercept and random digit dialing surveys can be.
    Description of Respondents: Intercept interviews will be conducted 
with a random sample of individuals who visit non-park sites in Marin 
or San Francisco Counties. Telephone surveys will be conducted with a 
random sample of residents of the Counties of Marin, San Francisco, 
Alameda and one or two other counties surrounding the Bay as yet 
unselected. The postcard O-D survey will be distributed to a random 
sample of drivers passing through the Tam Junction intersection.
    Estimated Average Number of Respondents: 800 (completed telephone 
interviews); 400 (completed intercept interviews); 400 (completed 
postcard O-D surveys).
    Estimated Average Number of Responses: Each respondent will respond 
only one time, so the number of responses will be the same as the 
number of respondents.
    Estimated Average Burden Hours per Response: 15 minutes (telephone 
interviews); 15 minutes (intercept surveys); 5 minutes (postcard O-D 
survey).
    Frequency of Response: 1 time per respondent.
    Estimated Annual Reporting Burden: 333 hours.

    Dated: January 17, 2001.
Leonard E. Stowe,
Information Collection Clearance Officer, WASO Administrative Program 
Center, National Park Service.
[FR Doc. 01-1878 Filed 1-22-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-70-M