If you agree that paid parking at Mt. Mansfield is not the solution to traffic issues on Rt. 108, sign this petition, inform your friends and family about it, and share it on your social media accounts.

       We, the undersigned, demand that Vail Resorts stop charging a parking fee at Mt. Mansfield and that the State of Vermont prohibit Vail Resorts from charging a parking fee now and in the future.  Vail’s parking fee plan is not a well-designed solution to traffic along Rt. 108 and in Stowe during the winter. Additionally, their paid parking plan has unavoidable consequences for the free parking lot located at Barnes Camp, which is meant for free access to outdoor recreation on state land.

        We are downhill skiers, Nordic skiers, snowboarders, snowshoers, ice climbers and hikers. We frequently use the Mt. Mansfield Ski Area and the Notch for recreational purposes in the winter. Vail’s parking fee limits our access to both.  Mt. Mansfield is the only state-owned ski area in Vermont where payment of a parking fee is required at parking areas adjacent to the ski area.

Vail’s parking fee discriminates against, and imposes an unfair financial burden on, those of us:
• who can only ski on non-work days, which usually occur on a Saturday, Sunday or Holiday
• who are only able to use Mt. Mansfield during the early morning hours
• who are elderly or have health issues and as a result cannot use a remote parking area without difficulty
• who own smaller, more energy efficient automobiles that do not easily carry four passengers along with all of their equipment. 
• who are on fixed incomes, or are low income individuals, especially at a time of rising inflation

       Vail’s parking plan fails to recognize that providing a shuttle bus from a free remote parking lot over two miles from the ski area and the Notch is discriminatory, unworkable and practically unfair to many of us. 

      Vail’s parking plan does nothing to alleviate traffic resulting from the sale of an unlimited number of Season Passes.  Vail’s sale of 2.1 Million passes is the root of the traffic problem at many of its resorts. The parking fee at Mt. Mansfield is designed to cater towards those who only make a few trips per year. The financial burden of their parking plan puts a disproportionate expense on those who have invested in living here with a goal of frequently using the resort & the Notch. A ski resort should not favor out of state skiers instead of local residents.

      If Vail wanted to directly and more fairly limit traffic on Rt. 108, and in Stowe, they could require reservations on skier visits, or for parking spaces, on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays. A reservation system, unlike the parking fee, would not prevent us from using, and having immediate and direct access to, Mt. Mansfield and the Notch on days and at times when there is no need to reduce traffic and no need to limit our access to the parking areas.  Vail could charge parking fees on a select number of preferred parking spots. This revenue could support mass transit options and other traffic mitigation efforts, including financial support for buses to and from colleges and universities.

      Vail Resorts has multiple options to mitigate traffic concerns that are superior to their current parking plan. These alternative plans do not affect the publics access to Mt. Mansfield and the Notch, and do not unfairly discriminate against those who frequent the resort.

In addition to signing this petition, please email your demand that the State prohibit Vail’s parking fee to the Secretary of the Vt. Agency of Natural Resources (julie.moore@vermont.gov), to the Coordinator of the District 5 Environmental Commission (susan.baird @vermont.gov) and to the Selectboard of the Town of Stowe (csafford@stowevt.gov).