The court ruling on the Mt. Evans access fee hardly clears up the matter. Although the court seemed to rule that everyone must pay the fee, the Forest service confirmed you don't have to pay to use the road.
"A spokesman for the Forest Service, John Bustos, insisted that gate agents tell visitors they don't have to pay if they don't intend to stop the car.
'People still have the right to drive without stopping and leave without paying a fee,' he said."
Posted by Todd Caudle on August 9, 2011 at 9:32 PM
I heard this on the radio today. Total B.S. Sure, it's awfully nice that USFS will still allow people to drive on a COLORADO STATE HIGHWAY (how gracious of them!), but the CDOT-maintained and Colorado taxpayer funded road should include the ability to stop on the CDOT-maintained and Colorado taxpayer funded shoulder to take a freakin' picture!!! The FLEER agreement that Congress passed even said that pullouts and such should be accessible without a fee. This decision should not be allowed to stand, but really, the only way to overturn it at this point would require an act of Congress, and I don't think enough members of either party would care enough about this issue, or care to give up the revenues, however limited, to do anything about it.
Yep, there's no way they are going to rule any differently during economic times like this. It would make so much sense to allow us to at least pay for a 1 day fee of maybe 2 bucks instead of a stupid 3 day pass of $10!
Discussion
2 replies"A spokesman for the Forest Service, John Bustos, insisted that gate agents tell visitors they don't have to pay if they don't intend to stop the car.
'People still have the right to drive without stopping and leave without paying a fee,' he said."
The full text of today's ruling can be found here: Scherer v. U.S. Forest Service