Monday, November 6, 2023

Ways to reduce traffic into Park City (continued)

Yesterday, I submitted an idea to cut down on traffic in my hometown of Park City, but that actually would apply to all major ski towns (in the US, Canada, Europe and everywhere else, in fact). The goal would be to reduce car traffic, improve air quality, ease congestion and make parking easier. 

A subset of goals would be to encourage folks to carpool, take public transit, walk instead of driving (biking is a bit more iffy on snow and after dark) and come outside of peak hours. For that I propose a very simple RFID system that can be stuck to the windshield, along with a smartphone app to know how traffic conditions vary and affect the need for and the amount of payment if so required.

Yes, I would envision a variable toll from zero to a level to be determined that would vary with some algorithm linked to traffic congestion at a certain point in time. There would be no fee for local, full-time residents, essential workers, local school students and teachers. County residents would be able to access at discounted rates when there’s a charge for entry. 

There would be multiple entry-passes for contractors, tradespeople, non-essential employees, one free entry for second homeowners and overnight visitors, but day visitor would have to pay. If motorized visitors can’t or don’t want to pay they will be given options for free parking lots located at the town entrance and can ride free transportation to town and back. 

This is my rough concept at this stage. Needless to say that this plan would be hotly debated as it would be less convenient, curtain flexibility and freedom and would require sacrifices, but I’m utterly convinced that if given a chance, it would work. 

What do you think?

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