Action Alert: Mill Creek Shuttle Feasibility

Those of you who have been in the Wasatch for a while have seen the many efforts to manage our much-loved little mountain range come and go, and sometimes it can be a bit hard to keep up: 2001 Forest Plan, FCOZ, Mountain Accord. Central Wasatch Commission, etc. Most of these have had some effect, though over time things haven’t changed too much beyond more of us going up the canyons to enjoy them. Now, however, our community has an opportunity for some direct feedback on a long-sought and potentially valuable asset to our community: a shuttle system servicing Mill Creek Canyon.

Over 30 years ago City Councilman Jim Bradley spearheaded an effort to create a toll booth in Mill Creek Canyon and keep the tolls local, paying for improved infrastructure in the canyon. It improved the canyon dramatically, but of course, we have all used the canyon a lot. One of the key aspects of the canyon is car traffic. While the presence of an LCC-style Red Snake is rare, parking in the canyon is often at a premium, particularly in the winter when Porter Fork and the MCC road above the closed gate get a lot of use.

In 2011 Salt Lake County contracted with a local land use consultant to create a comprehensive management plan for MCC that went into a lot of detail on a pilot program for a shuttle system in the canyon. The county did not act on the recommendations, but the two-year-long upper canyon road improvement project currently in progress does include adding some potential shuttle bus infrastructure.

The Central Wasatch Commission has re-engaged Fehr & Peers, a Salt Lake City-based transportation planning firm, to update their original project, and is looking for feedback from the community. So a 30-day public comment period has commenced. This is not a formal government-issued NEPA-mandated comment period where much of the project is a foregone conclusion and the agency in charge does not view a public comment period as “a vote” but is a way to cover their bases; this is a genuine “we want to know what your experience has been, how you use the canyon, what do you think of the concept of a shuttle, and what suggestions you have!” comment period, which is a great opportunity for our community.

So please take the time to comment by Tuesday, August 12. Talk about your current use of the canyon by season, how frequently you might use the shuttle by season, what you think the frequency should be, how much – if anything – you’d be willing to pay for use of the shuttle, where you’d like to see stops (by season?), any challenges on the shuttle like how often you use bikes and/or take your dog, etc.

There are four ways to comment: