Gridlock grips Lady Liberty 







Sunday, October 5, 1997 

News Brief taken from Wall Street Journal/The Detroit News Article written by Danielle Reed






Concerned groups are pressing the Park Service to improve services at the Statue.  Of the 3 million visitors per year, many are turned away by 2PM as the Statue reaches capacity, or, as often happens, tourists require medical attention from heat (waiting) or exhaustion (overexerion on the stairway).  Entrance fees or an increase in the Federal budget are needed to upgrade the services. 




Kathy Westra of the National Parks and Conservation Association in Washington commends congress for the renovation, but insists that ongoing funding needs to be increased.  Concerns include signage and directions (too many tourists ending up on the Staten Island ferry instead of the Liberty Island ferry), limited description of the experience (knowing beforehand that the crown holds only a handful of people and the stay at the top can be a matter of seconds), long lines (tickets, ferry, statue - up to a 3 hour wait to get into the statue on busy afternoons, if you don't get turned away outright), and closing the statue due to excessive temperatures.  The island's Medical Emergency Services Unit reports 400-500 medical response annually - heat exhaustion to heart attacks.




Superintendent Diane Dayson ackowledges limitations due to landmark restrictions.  No extra doors, for example, to speed entry/exit. But this fall, the Park Service intends to improve the conditions, starting with surveys, moving on to repairs, reservations, maybe even videos of the crown as a subsitute for the climb.