The original plans for Little Kate Road called for a 12-foot-wide mixed-use pathway for cyclists and pedestrians. But after residents voiced concerns about sharing the sidewalk at a February open house and an April Park City Council meeting, councilmembers paused the plans. That sent transportation staff back to the drawing board.
Now, the project is back before the public with four new options, ranging from adding more space for bike lanes with no physical buffer to adding raised bike lanes on the south side of the road. There are no changes for pedestrians in any of the proposals.
At an open house outside the Park City MARC Tuesday, the majority of locals expressed support for the former. That’s because it involves the fewest changes.
Many attendees reiterated they don’t think Little Kate Road needs any upgrades, including Sara Wells.
“I have been here 35 years. I live at the Racquet Club. I don't see a problem with our present situation, so I would have to say in a sentence, if it ain't broke, don't fix it,” she said.
Ed Thiel, a Holiday Ranch Loop Road resident of 39 years, agreed. He said he’d prefer some more stop signs on Little Kate to prevent speeding.
“It seems to be a solution looking for a problem,” he said. “Most of us are in favor of maybe a wider sidewalk, but some of these plans are just over the top.”
Still, project leaders said they received more positive feedback on the most recent proposals and commenters were less heated. A resident said there was also a neighbor-led effort to encourage locals to express their concerns civilly.
Assistant transportation planning manager Alex Roy said Little Kate was identified as a road needing more bicycle and pedestrian facilities two years ago in the city’s bicycle and pedestrian plan.
“The reason why we identified Little Kate as a roadway that might need some improvements was, we see a high number of vehicles, a lot of those vehicles are traveling pretty quickly, and then we also see a lot of pedestrian and bicycle use along this road,” he said
Many users are also kids on their way to Park City High or McPolin Elementary.
Roy said locals can still weigh in on the four options through an online survey.
The results of the open house and survey will be presented to the council July 9.
