Solutions

FoLCC is a group of impassioned residents aiming to save the beauty of LCC from the gondola. They propose common sense solutions such as tolling and increasing the bus service. They also want to see solutions implemented in a phased manner with added infrastructure being considered after simple measures are explored.

SOC wants to see a “flexible, year-round bus system” that serves multiple recreation areas in the canyon. They propose solutions that aim to exceed UDOT’s goal of 30% people on transit such as incentivizing carpooling to increase the average number of car occupants from 1.7 to 4.

Check out their comments to UDOT for more details.

Save Not Pave wants to see less asphalt and more transportation alternatives on S.R. 210 within UDOT’s mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon to Alta improvement effort. SNP cites the negative consequences of UDOT’s ‘one more lane, one more lane’ build out in degrading natural infrastructure, heightening temperatures during an emergency drought, creation of air, noise and light pollution, and high speeds to ANY place within Salt Lake Valley, no less the bedroom community of Cottonwood Heights, Granite, Sandy and LCC. Heavy traffic during 30 peak ski days can be immediately mitigated by improved road design, Non-stop Express Bus service from micro-hubs strategically located around Salt Lake Valley and the airport delivering skiers directly to Alta, Snowbird, Solitude or Brighton. Restrictions on single-occupancy vehicles & tolling during peak periods MUST be implemented for the 21/22 ski season. For residential S.R. 210, road re-design including traffic calming measures, slower speeds and improving then incentivizing transit and active transportation use is the way forward for the 21st century. SNP’s solutions aim to create a safe environment for neighborhoods, cyclists, pedestrians, and all canyon users.

The SLCA does not support any of UDOT’s “preferred alternatives”. They propose that other transportation solutions be explored such as “an expanded bus service coupled with tolling” and that permanent changes to LCC “should only be considered after less impactful options have been implemented and shown not to be effective”.

Brad Rutledge of the Wasatch Backcountry Alliance spoke at the July 13th public hearing. He emphasized what the goal of UDOT’s LCC EIS, which is to “improve traffic mobility going up Little Cottonwood Canyon”. This goal has been set aside while the tourist-attraction aspect of the gondola has been pushed as a reason for support. He also stated, “WBA really believes that we haven’t given busses a good chance. We have not funded buses and all the kinds of systems that could make going up LCC successful… We have seen this work for events and other things. we should give these things a chance before we invest in widening the road or installing the gondola.”

In the 2021 election, Sandy City chose Monica Zoltanski as their next mayor. The Sandy mayoral race was largely focused on the gondola because Sandy City will be greatly negatively impacted by this infrastructure.

Sandy’s election turnout really speaks to the opposition these residents have for the gondola.

Mayor Zoltanski is “all for” working with the resorts to find places in Sandy to get resort goers from the base to the top of LCC. She believes this should be done at the expense of the resorts or possibly in conjunction with public funds, “but not a massive public expense”.