Bill Ciraco convened local politicians and resort officials for a presentation at the Park City Rotary Club in February 2023. He pitched the concept of a new train line running up Parleys Canyon and turning down the state Route 224 corridor to service Park City.
In a recent interview, Ciraco said he understands the train idea is farfetched, adding that his ultimate goal is to improve resident quality of life through traffic management.
“If we can make a significant impact on the visitor traffic into town, and the workforce traffic into town, this place becomes a much more magical place to be,” Ciraco said. “It becomes much more walkable.”
Ciraco said he’s inspired by Zermatt, the car-free ski village in Switzerland.
“What if we didn’t need all these parking spots at some point? What could we do with that space? How could we repurpose it? Wouldn’t it be much more valuable to us to have something productive other than a parking lot? It just takes getting people here. We need the tourists to keep coming, so if we can figure out a better way to do that without cars, I think it’s a win-win.”
Ciraco, who moved to Park City’s Aspen Springs in 2020, said traffic was the top concern he heard from residents while door knocking during the campaign.
“It doesn’t mean that the traffic is New York bad or LA bad,” he said. “It means that it’s bad relative to what the experience here in Park City should be like - what the quality of life should be like. And that’s been a big focus for me even before I decided to run.”
He said the likely return of the Winter Olympics in 2034 could provide the funding for bold, new transportation projects.
Ciraco is a board member of the nonprofit Save People Save Wildlife, which works to reduce vehicle-wildlife collisions. He said preserving the wildlife habitat in Park City will also be a priority for him on the council.
November’s election results were recently certified. Incumbent Ryan Dickey will get a new four-year term, and Ed Parigian will join Ciraco on the council in January.
