$1 million system to reduce traffic in Puerto Rico forest

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The U.S. government says it’s investing $1 million to establish a park-and-ride system for Puerto Rico’s El Yunque National Forest. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says some 1.2 million people visit the forest every year, with up to 3,000 cars competing for 300 parking spaces each day. The department said Monday that it already has invested $250,000 in a master transit plan. It noted that vehicular congestion has been a problem at El Yunque for 80 years. El Yunque is the only tropical rainforest in the U.S. National Forest System and represents 20% of Puerto Rico’s tourism economy.