Current Commute to LCC During Ski Season

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Canyon Guard is a 501c(3) actively educating policymakers and the public commonsense transportation solutions that will actually improve congestion to Little Cottonwood Canyon. Click on these links to learn more about our mission, our proposed solution, how you can help, and to donate to our cause.

This survey aims to capture the transportation needs and preferences of visitors of Little Cottonwood Canyon. Your answers would be instrumental in helping us formulate suitable transportation solutions.

Email *

(1) DURING THE SKI SEASON, how often do you recreate in Little Cottonwood Canyon (LCC)? *

Few times a week

Few times a month

Few times a season

Almost never

Never

(2) DURING THE SKI SEASON, describe your commute and visitation experience in LCC (check all that apply) *

I often take buses or shuttles

I often ride in private vehicles but often carpool with 3 or more people

I often drive private vehicles with only 1 or 2 people

I often stay in Alta and therefore require minimal commuting

I don't typically visit LCC during the winter

I stop coming to LCC as often as before due to fear of traffic congestion

I stop coming to LCC as often as before as the ski resorts are getting too crowded

Required

(3) DURING THE SKI SEASON, where in LLC do you primarily go? *

Snowbird Ski Resort

Alta Ski Area

Town of Alta

None of the above (e.g. trailheads)

(4) How important do you think is the need to place traffic light(s) to regulate the traffic merging from Snowbird's parking lot to the main road, so as to help alleviate the congestion on the road above Snowbird?

Not relevant to me

Not so important

Somewhat important

Important and much needed

Urgently needed

Clear selection

(5) Top 3 reasons that currently deter you from taking the bus to go to LCC

The bus routes are not convenient

The bus riding process takes too much time to get to the slopes

The bus riding experience at the bus stop and in the bus is too uncomfortable

I don't like the uncertainty of whether I can get on the bus as there is no reservation and it takes too long to wait for the next bus

I worry there is not enough space at the park n ride bus stops

Not enough monetary incentives. Taking the bus is less convenient than driving but the cost is similar

Not enough trailhead stops

Other:

Required

(6) Do you see yourself taking the bus if the experience vastly improves, i.e. your above 3 concerns are addressed? *

Yes will take the bus most of the time

Likely will take the bus majority of the time

Possibly sometimes

Maybe once in a while

Very unlikely will take the bus

(7) Currently on average, each car arriving at LCC carries only 1.89 people. To reduce the congestions on the road, aka the "Redsnake", we need to encourage cars with 3 or more people. Do you support these measures? *

Highly against

Against

Neutral

Somewhat supportive

Highly supportive

Only allowing HOV with 3 or more people to go up canyon from 730am to 10am on the weekends and holidays

Impose more toll on cars with fewer than 3 people, particularly on weekends and holidays

Ask Snowbird to impose 100% permit parking on the weekend, following the practices of 3 ski resorts: Alta, Solitude and Brighton?

(8) If you can pick 5 solutions to reduce the Redsnake, which top 5 would you pick? *

More frequent buses (e.g. one every 5 to 10 minutes)

Improve bus riding experience (e.g. more variety of bus routes, include buses that take reservations, better apps that provide real time updates, lower bus fare, more seating and less standing room in ski bus)

Only allow High Occupancy Vehicles (HOV) with 3 or more peopple to go up the canyon from 730am to 10am

Stricter enforcement of traction law

Similar to Big Cottonwood Canyon, have one resort to close later and/or open earlier

Similar to Brighton, Solitude, Alta, request Snowbird to require 100% permit parking on weekend and holidays

Impose tolls on weekend and holidays

Impose tolls on vehicles with fewer than 3 people on weekend and holidays

Build a railroad

Widen SR210

Build a gondola

Required

(9) The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) has proposed constructing a gondola with taxpayer dollars to improve accessibility to the ski resorts and to accommodate projected 60% population growth. UDOT estimates the cost would be $0.8 to $1.4 billion. Do you support this plan? *

Strongly against the plan

Somewhat against the plan

Neutral

Somewhat supportive of the plan

Strongly supportive of the plan

(10) Any other remarks or suggestions not reflected in the above answers? We also welcome your feedback on our current solution below:

(1) Promote High Occupancy Vehicles (HOV): To maintain the same number of visitors while reducing car traffic, we must incentivize HOV with 3 or more people. Right now, on average, each vehicle traveling to LCC carries only 1.89 people. Increasing vehicle occupancy from 1.89 to 3 people will decrease the number of cars on the road by 37%! Both carrot and stick approaches can be considered:

-Reward System: Cars with 3 or more people might enjoy new benefits, e.g. faster lanes, toll discounts, and incentives like free parking or ski perks

-Restrictions: Cars with fewer than 3 people might encounter restrictions, e.g. cannot travel up the canyon from 730am - 10am on weekends and holidays, charged higher tolls, allotted fewer parking permits at the resorts.

(2) Deploy a variety of bus/shuttle options: Meeting peak demand requires a more comprehensive and flexible fleet of HOVs, not just UTA’s current ski buses. This might include a combination of public UTA-operated buses, privately contracted specialized ski buses, reservable 14-seat shuttles that can depart from numerous locations, and on-demand licensed private shuttles that resemble rideshare networks like Via, Uber of Lyft. This diversity provides 2 important additional benefits:

-Increase the variety of bus routes. More pickup locations and bus routes can be provided to attract more users and also help reduce the degree by which Park-n-Ride lots need to be expanded.

-Provide a more tailored experience. Some licensed private shuttles can provide premium services such as advance reservation, guaranteed seating, custom pickup locations, or ski gear storage for those who desire a more comfortable transit experience and are willing to pay a premium.

(3) Leverage Modern Technology: Deploy proven technology to transform the public transit experience. Examples include:

-Real-time data for bus delays, congestion transit and parking availability data can be shared through cellphone apps, at bus stops, and via highway signage to keep transit riders informed.

-Carpool coordination platforms can be used to facilitate carpooling in private vehicles.

-Predictive modeling tools can estimate travel time based on factors such as weather or holidays.

(4) Increased Awareness: A core part of the transportation solution must include proactive education for all canyon users about these transit options to help the solution reach critical mass and highest effectiveness.

THANK YOU! Canyon Guard is a 501c(3) actively working on educating policymakers and the public low cost low impact transportation solutions that will actually improve congestion to Little Cottonwood Canyon. Your inputs directly contribute to our advocacy and is much appreciated!

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