The winter bus schedule started Thursday and the new Transit Systems Manager is looking for seasonal drivers. Affordable Housing for bus drivers will be available with She is Carolyn Murray has this:
Park City Transit Systems Manager, Barbara Murdock is in charge of the operations of the transit system which includes hiring bus drivers and making sure the routes are meeting the needs of the community.
“We have a recruitment plan right in place now. We always need bus drivers. So, anyone out there the age of 21, we’ll train you to get a CDO license to train you to drive a Park City bus. We have about 125 drivers total and I’d say more than about 50 of those are seasonal.”
The Ecker Hill Park and Ride is fully operational with electric buses running every 10 minutes between the lot and the Kimball Junction Transit Center. Murdock said she’s been working on bus routes and service since she started with Park City in August.
The Lime Service will provide more frequent express service on the SR 224 corridor and as a connector from the Ecker Hill Park and Ride to the Park City Base. Weekend schedules are a little different with some hour extensions.
“And, we’ve extended service hours in many areas. And, we’ve also added additional routes, added an additional yellow bus in the Prospector area and just trying to better serve those communities.”
The City started an employee shuttle last year to coincide with paid parking in China Bridge. It runs until four in the morning and will be available for Main Street Employees again this year.
“Overall, our service…we have routes that go from about 5:30 in the morning until 2:03 AM so we’re covered around the clock.”
Park City Transportation Planning Manager, Alfred Knotts said they are working with the County and UDOT on VRT lanes which are rush hour lane designations. They’ve submitted a grant with the Federal Transit Administration and have plans to also use local funding from the transit tax. Buses will be able to use these lanes to circumvent queuing in traffic on 224 during busy entry and exit periods into the resorts.
“So, we have put in new signs. We have been able to operate in that transit lane in that shoulder area from Canyons Village Drive to the Kimball Junction area on the northbound lanes. I think we started in 2013. It was really a pilot project for Sundance. Then, we’ve built off of that agreement from UDOT to do that service and provide that flexibility during the peak times at the seasonalities. Now we’re able to operate at the driver discretion in safe conditions. Now, we have a formal agreement wit UDOT any time of day at that driver discretion any time of year, both northbound and southbound.”
There will be more law enforcement on 224 for vehicles other than buses traveling in the VRT lane.
“I was driving home the other night and no less than 20 cars went right by me at least a mile away from the intersectionat Ute. So, there will be more enforcement. There’s a high rate of visibility now with new signage. There were probably three or four signs out there before. We’ve installed signs consistent with UDOT standards. They’re placed about 800 feet on the center. They’re very frequent so people do know they’re for emergency stopping and bus lanes only.”
Knotts said the turn pockets are delineated with lane striping and vehicles other than buses using the shoulder, VRT lanes will be ticketed.
Go to Parkcity.org for a complete guide to bus routes.
