Vote for Utah ski bus

[thetrailboss]

Uh oh.....Ski Utah and friends better start passing around the hat. The Gov is saying this "may" need to be a public-private partnership.

Private funds should help pay for Little Cottonwood gondola, Utah governor says

‘I don’t think the state should do it alone,’ Gov. Spencer Cox said.

www.deseret.com

 

[4aprice]

Cottonwood Canyons To Have Reduced Ski Bus Service For Second Straight Year

A depleted workforce led to a 50% reduction in the Utah Transit Authority's (UTA) ski buses during the 2022-23 season. This was due to worker shortages,

unofficialnetworks.com

More fodder for the pro gondola crowd. Parking will be an issue again this year.

 

[thetrailboss]

Cottonwood Canyons To Have Reduced Ski Bus Service For Second Straight Year

A depleted workforce led to a 50% reduction in the Utah Transit Authority's (UTA) ski buses during the 2022-23 season. This was due to worker shortages,

unofficialnetworks.com

More fodder for the pro gondola crowd. Parking will be an issue again this year.

Crazy, right? UTA cannot get drivers. Period.

 

[ThatGuy]

Crazy, right? UTA cannot get drivers. Period.

Maybe if they paid a little better it would be a different story…

 

[Smellytele]

Crazy, right? UTA cannot get drivers. Period.

I would think that they need more for the winter months so it may not be a permanent job. Which must be even harder to find drivers for.

 

[thetrailboss]

Another Year of Limited Bus Service

It was pretty disappointing to see yesterday that UTA will only be offering limited ski bus service again this season. To make more room f...

wasatchweatherweenies.blogspot.com

 

[jimk]

Another Year of Limited Bus Service

It was pretty disappointing to see yesterday that UTA will only be offering limited ski bus service again this season. To make more room f...

wasatchweatherweenies.blogspot.com

Bummer. The bus line they dropped last year and are apparently not reinstating this year is the one that is most useful to me.
I'm a believer in the conspiracy theory that certain high level power brokers in the state of UT want to piss off the populace with so much vehicle traffic problems that the majority of the public eventually consents to building the LCC gondola.

 

[ThatGuy]

Its crazy to me they’re really planning to build a whole gondola in a canyon where you aren’t even allowed to walk your dogs because of environmental impacts. Also shouldn’t AltaBird be footing some of this bill since they are the primary beneficiaries from said gondola.

 

[ss20]

Bummer. The bus line they dropped last year and are apparently not reinstating this year is the one that is most useful to me.
I'm a believer in the conspiracy theory that certain high level power brokers in the state of UT want to piss off the populace with so much vehicle traffic problems that the majority of the public eventually consents to building the LCC gondola.

Same. Especially given that the ski bus routes gotta be some of the most ridden lines in the whole uta network... I have no data to back that up other than anecdotal UTA usage once a month or so.

 

[ss20]

Its crazy to me they’re really planning to build a whole gondola in a canyon where you aren’t even allowed to walk your dogs because of environmental impacts. Also shouldn’t AltaBird be footing some of this bill since they are the primary beneficiaries from said gondola.

Yes and yes.

It's mostly moot anyway now that we know there won't be any kind of construction on a road expansion or gondola til at least the mid 2030s. It could be a whole different world by then with whatever technology advancements are come up with.

 

[ThatGuy]

Yes and yes.

It's mostly moot anyway now that we know there won't be any kind of construction on a road expansion or gondola til at least the mid 2030s. It could be a whole different world by then with whatever technology advancements are come up with.

It’s going to be one of those projects that takes decades to come to fruition (if it ever does). I’m just glad I’ll be skiing LCC before the aesthetic value is drastically reduced with a gondola.
I give this a better chance of being accomplished than the Balsams though

 

[djd66]

Yes and yes.

It's mostly moot anyway now that we know there won't be any kind of construction on a road expansion or gondola til at least the mid 2030s. It could be a whole different world by then with whatever technology advancements are come up with.

2030's? really? By then, they won't need drivers as I think driverless tech will replace the bus drivers.

 

[thetrailboss]

Bummer. The bus line they dropped last year and are apparently not reinstating this year is the one that is most useful to me.
I'm a believer in the conspiracy theory that certain high level power brokers in the state of UT want to piss off the populace with so much vehicle traffic problems that the majority of the public eventually consents to building the LCC gondola.

I can honestly say that it is a low unemployment, tight labor market issue as to UTA. A while back I asked folks here, "who would want to be a bus driver?" I still have NO takers.

 

[thetrailboss]

When you all have a few minutes, listen to this recent Radio West discussion on the "Pros" of the Gondola plan:

The Case for the Gondola

More than fifty years ago, there was a proposal to build a gondola from the base of Little Cottonwood Canyon to Snowbird Ski Resort. What if it was the right idea all along?

radiowest.kuer.org

 

[jimk]

For the record, I'm in favor of the gondola up LCC. The current situation with traffic continuing to increase each season is far more degrading to the aesthetics of the canyon than building a gondola and requiring all visitors/skiers who aren't staying overnight at the resorts to park at the mouth and ride the gondola.

 

[BenedictGomez]

Yes and yes.

It's mostly moot anyway now that we know there won't be any kind of construction on a road expansion or gondola til at least the mid 2030s. It could be a whole different world by then with whatever technology advancements are come up with.

I wonder if they'll try to use Salt Lake City / Park City 2034 as a bogey to greatly speed-up construction & completion.

 

[ss20]

2030's? really? By then, they won't need drivers as I think driverless tech will replace the bus drivers.

I won't quote it because I can't guarantee this was the wording but at least the mid 2030s (funding dependent) is what UDOT said in their decision.

Nothing has a funding mechanism in place expect for tolling and improved bus service on the current road come 2024 or 2025 (can't remember). Everything after that is TBD

 

[thetrailboss]

I wonder if they'll try to use Salt Lake City / Park City 2034 as a bogey to greatly speed-up construction & completion.

Honestly it doesn’t matter. There are no Olympic events/venues in LCC.

 

[4aprice]

I can honestly say that it is a low unemployment, tight labor market issue as to UTA. A while back I asked folks here, "who would want to be a bus driver?" I still have NO takers.

I have to admit, I'm not sure I would want to drive a bus up and down those canyons. It can be nerve racking enough in a car. Imagine having the lives of 50 or what ever number of people in your hands.

Once having a text convo with my son I saw an ad for CDOT looking for snow plow drivers. Told my son that I was thinking about a new career and he said "great", only to text me back 1/2 hr later to say "wait, what? don't do it, that sounds dangerous". Had a good laugh over that one

 

[jaytrem]

Once having a text convo with my son I saw an ad for CDOT looking for snow plow drivers. Told my son that I was thinking about a new career and he said "great", only to text me back 1/2 hr later to say "wait, what? don't do it, that sounds dangerous". Had a good laugh over that one

I don't know if you should give up on that dream. In fact, I think Red Mountain Pass might be calling your name!