Please sign my petition to ban stationary idling tour buses as well as parked buses  from the National Mall.  

The National Mall should be a place where visitors can experience America’s history, monuments, museums, and open public spaces without being surrounded by rows of parked and idling tour buses.

This petition is not an attack on tourism. Tourism is vital to Washington, D.C., and as a visitor myself, I deeply appreciate its value. In fact, the current situation harms the very people who come to enjoy our nation’s capital.

 

The National Mall is one of the most visited public spaces in the world. Millions of visitors from the United States and all over the globe walk between the monuments and museums and participate in recreational as well as leisure activities on the vast lawn daily.  This includes vulnerable populations—from infants in strollers to elderly individuals in wheelchairs—as well as those living with asthma, COPD, and other respiratory conditions.  Exposure to diesel exhaust from idling buses creates unpleasant odors and unhealthy air quality in a beautiful, historic area designed specifically for pedestrians and public enjoyment.  The diesel fumes affect healthy people as well

In addition to the pollution and noise, rows of large buses lined along the Mall obstruct scenic views, diminish the beauty of the open landscape, and interfere with the visitor experience in America’s most iconic civic spaces.

 

The current policy appears to have created an unintended loophole. Because tour buses are restricted from traditional parking near the Mall and are primarily permitted only for loading and unloading, many operators remain parked on the Mall for extended periods with their engines running or idling  while they wait for tour groups. Public areas intended for the enjoyment of all visitors have effectively become free commercial staging zones.

 

Tour bus companies are commercial operators profiting from tourism in the nation’s capital. Just as visitors who drive personal vehicles must pay to use garages and lots throughout the city, tour bus companies should be required to utilize designated, paid bus parking facilities rather than occupying valuable public space indefinitely.

 

Requiring tour buses to use designated paid parking and staging lots away from the National Mall would:

 -Improve air quality for visitors and employees of the National Parks Services

 -Protect individuals with respiratory conditions

 -Reduce unnecessary noise and traffic congestion

 -Preserve scenic views across the Mall

 -Create a cleaner, safer, and more enjoyable visitor experience

 -Encourage responsible, sustainable tourism practices

 -Generate parking revenue for the city and public infrastructure, rather than allowing free long-term staging on the Mall

America’s front yard should not function as a commercial bus parking lot. The National Mall deserves policies that protect public health, preserve the beauty and dignity of our national landmarks, and elevate the experience for everyone who visits our nation’s capitol. 

Please support efforts to prohibit the prolonged parking and idling of tour buses on and around the National Mall, and require operators to use designated paid bus parking areas while waiting between pickups and drop-offs.