From the Rail Trail to Poison Creek to McCleod, mixed-use pathways are well-known to Parkites.
But plans to put a similar path along Little Kate Road in Park Meadows have met with significant opposition.
The Park City Council heard over an hour of public comment on the project at its April 30 meeting. Nearly all opposed mixing pedestrian and bike traffic.
Resident Holly McDonald told the council safety is the neighborhood’s primary concern.
“These are the Park Meadows residents I was talking about; these are the users," she said, gesturing to the full room behind her. "You can put together a plan for the people who don't live there, but the people who do showed up today, and safety is one of our biggest concerns.”
The proposed trail is an offshoot of an ongoing project to upgrade bus stops in Park City. During those efforts, staff began to consider safety improvements along a busy stretch of roadway between the McPolin Elementary School and the PC MARC.
The project is largely paid for by a $2.2 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration the city secured in 2023. The current design proposes replacing bike lanes and a sidewalk with a 12-foot wide, paved, mixed-use pathway.
During a work session presentation, City Transportation Planner Anna Maki recognized they have heard resident concerns.
“But based on the current usage levels we expect the space to function comfortably,” she said. “National guidance indicates that a 12-foot pathway can accommodate up to 150 people per hour – that’s both walking and biking – while maintaining comfort and safety.”
According to city data, usage along Little Kate Road peaks at 39 people per hour. Poison Creek and the Rail Trail can see average peaks between 100 and 125.
The designs at Little Kate are based on the same standards accepted elsewhere in the city – and country – said City Engineer John Robertson. If council rejects the plan, the city’s overall approach to pathway design would need to be revisited.
“We need to have a discussion so we don't come to this point again, where we have a proposal before you and council and residents say ‘we don’t like this.’ [Because] this is a multi-use path accepted in many places throughout the states. So we need to start working with you, and working with folks, to put something together that is doable for everybody.”
Staff hoped the council might be ready to vote on a construction contract by May 7. They agreed to pause after councilmembers expressed concerns over e-bike use and the safety of elementary school students walking to class.
Council member Tana Toley said she felt staff was rushing a decision.
“You guys know this was a very heated topic in this community and to give us the choice ‘yes or no today,’ without even offering to come back in a couple of weeks with a couple of ideas, it is not sitting well with me. I feel very put on the spot,” she said.
Staff will go back to the drawing board and present an updated plan for the pathway with further ideas for separation between bikers and pedestrians along the route.
Council will discuss those plans on May 7, but the city will not break ground on the bikeway project this summer.
Instead, it will begin upgrades to bus stops along the route while it finalizes a pathway plan.