A 3S gondola is pictured in Ischgl, Austria. An analogous gondola has been proposed to service skiers in Little Cottonwood Canyon, with a base station at both the park-and-ride on the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon or a base station east of the La Caille restaurant at 9565 S. Wasatch Blvd., in Sandy. It’s one in all 5 proposals included as viable choices for transportation options in Little Cottonwood Canyon, in line with a Utah Division of Transportation environmental affect examine. Dave Fields, Snowbird
One in every of my main obligations as a member of the Salt Lake County Council is to make sure the general public’s tax dollars are allotted to their highest and greatest use. This may be troublesome when we've many professional requests for methods to spend, or not spend, tax dollars. This identical problem applies to accountable elected officers on the federal, state and native degree.
One main upcoming resolution to be made by the Utah Legislature, after receiving a suggestion from the Utah Division of Transportation, is whether or not or to not spend no less than $592 million to construct a gondola in Little Cottonwood Canyon to assist mitigate occasional visitors congestion. A competing resolution into consideration that prices nearly as a lot is widening the canyon freeway and including many extra buses in the course of the ski season.
As I analyze this concern within the spirit of “highest and greatest use” on methods to spend $592 million, I've to ask a query: Are there different, extra urgent transportation issues across the Salt Lake Valley that will be a greater use of that cash?
Most informal observers would say, “Sure, there most definitely are!” Take, for instance, the west facet of the Salt Lake Valley. On nearly any weekday between the hours of 4 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. a lot of the east-west arterial streets shall be completely congested with vehicles typically extending from visitors sign to visitors sign.
As well as, there are different urgent transportation wants on the east facet of the valley as nicely. These are year-round and rising issues in comparison with the visitors congestion in Little Cottonwood Canyon that exists perhaps 30 days a yr.
One other thought that will enhance air high quality and assist scale back visitors congestion valleywide is to make use of a small portion of the $592 million to make the Utah Transit Authority “No Fare” in the course of the winter inversion air pollution months of December, January and February. Even for anyone that by no means makes use of UTA (I do frequently), this thought actually advantages all people on account of cleaner air and diminished visitors congestion for all.
So the place ought to the $592 million in taxpayer dollars be allotted?
I recommend the reply is the place the dollars will do “the best good for the best variety of individuals.” And, this doesn’t embody the gondola or vital Little Cottonwood Canyon freeway enlargement, which each miss the mark on this regard.
Because it issues options to assist alleviate visitors congestion throughout peak days in Little Cottonwood Canyon, we should not overlook that Massive Cottonwood Canyon additionally has an identical concern on peak days. Subsequently, I like to recommend that we first have a look at varied inexpensive choices that may be applied as early as subsequent ski season to assist alleviate visitors congestion on the times in query.
A couple of concepts can have a direct affect on decreasing canyon congestion:
- A parking and skier reservation system to unfold out peak demand that has confirmed profitable in different areas of the nation.
- Precedence parking for vehicles with three or extra occupants.
- Designated hitchhiking pickup and drop-off spots at strategic places through which vehicles with just one or two occupants can decide up extra riders to fulfill occupancy necessities for precedence parking and different facilities. (Any such informal carpooling is generally generally known as ‘slugging’ and has labored nicely in different elements of the nation.)
- No fares collected on UTA ski buses to incentivize their use.
These are a number of commonsense, cheap ideas that may have a direct affect, relatively than both of the 2 proposed, very costly tasks that may take years to finish at a major price to the taxpayers and harm to the surroundings — each of which might probably incur price overruns and building delays.
As a skier and a hiker who frequents these canyons, I consider Massive and Little Cottonwood canyons are “crown jewels” of our group that need to be protected for the enjoyment of future generations. Including huge pylons for a gondola isn't solely ugly however impractical.
Be it both the Little Cottonwood Canyon freeway enlargement or the gondola, I'm hard-pressed to consider a extra grievous misuse of taxpayer assets when there are such urgent transportation wants elsewhere. Once more, I recommend we begin with inexpensive commonsense options that may have a direct useful affect on visitors congestion within the canyons whereas saving cash and defending the canyon panorama.
Richard Snelgrove is a Salt Lake County Councilman at-large. He at the moment resides in Murray.