The McLeod Creek trail begins at the Snow Creek Shopping Center. It crosses Meadows Drive and runs parallel to SR 224 into the Snyderville Basin. It's a popular multi-use trail for recreation, dog walking, and commuting. Silver Quinn’s trail runs behind the Park City Hospital along US 40. Bicycle traffic on the pathways can, at times, create safety risks due to the bike speeds, trail traffic, and the busy intersections it crosses.
Park City Trails and Open Space Manager Heinrich Deters said new gates installed on McLeod Creek and McPolin Farm trails are the city's response to neighborhood traffic calming efforts.
"So, the trail crossing gates are just one of the tools that we have in our toolbox,” Deters said. “Very recently, we added striping at McLeod Creek, Silver Quinn’s. It'll be on the Farm trail, and then we have slow-your-roll signage. We have signage that lets people know to pass on the left, stay on the right."
Deters told KPCW that some people support the gates and others find them intrusive. He said it's a balance when dealing with heavily used paths while teaching people about trail etiquette and safety.
"You know you don't want to be overzealous in our signage for some of these measures, which may deter people from actually choosing to ride their bike, etc," Deters said. "It's always a balance between providing more infrastructure and the safety associated with that."
Earlier this year, the Park City Council approved two full-time and two part-time rangers for the Trails and Open Space Department to support safety and efficiency measures.
"We have a staff of those four rangers, Logan Jones, the trails and open space coordinator, and myself,” Deters said. "A lot of the focus is on parking and impacts at trailheads. So, they can provide parking citations, but also, they're there from a customer service standpoint, speak with different trail users, offer maps, and mutt mitts, if needed."
People First Streets is Park City's program to give residents a say in creating safer neighborhood streets and pathways for non-motorized use.
Find details about People First Streetshere.
