WILLOW CREEK — A weekend shuttle service will operate during peak foliage season this month to reduce traffic congestion on Route 11 and help visitors navigate between the Thorne’s Bend trailhead, downtown and the Dry Dock without moving their cars.
The Willow Creek Leaf-Peeping Shuttle — a 14-passenger school bus borrowed from the Willow Creek K-8 School and driven by volunteer retiree Amos Homan — will run a continuous loop from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 26.
The route has four stops: the Thorne’s Bend boat launch parking lot, the town hall parking lot on Main Street, the General Store and the Dry Dock. The bus runs approximately every 30 minutes. Fares are $2 per ride or $5 for an all-day pass.
First Selectman Arthur Pendelton said the shuttle was conceived as a solution to the traffic problems that have grown with each successive foliage season.
“Last October, Route 11 was gridlocked on three consecutive Saturdays,” Pendelton said. “Cars parked on the shoulders of the boat launch access road. People were walking in the travel lane. It was unsafe and it was discouraging visitors from coming back.”
The shuttle is funded by a $4,500 grant from the Maine Department of Transportation’s rural mobility program and is being coordinated by the tourism committee. Printed schedules are available at the General Store, the library and the town office.
Dean Moreau of the Dry Dock said the shuttle has already changed the restaurant’s Saturday lunch dynamic.
“We used to have a 30-minute window where everyone who drove in at noon would arrive at the same time and overwhelm the kitchen,” Moreau said. “Now people arrive in waves on the bus. It spreads out the rush.”
Amos Homan, who drove a school bus for 12 years before retiring from the mill, said he volunteered for the shuttle because he wanted to show off his hometown.
“I’ve been watching people drive through Willow Creek my whole life,” Homan said. “This is the first time I’ve ever been able to tell them to slow down and look around.”