{"id":7787,"date":"2018-09-14T10:14:24","date_gmt":"2018-09-14T16:14:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.parkrag.com\/?p=7787"},"modified":"2018-09-14T10:14:24","modified_gmt":"2018-09-14T16:14:24","slug":"kilby-gate-isnt-going-away-and-it-highlights-communication-issues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/v2.parkrag.com\/index.php\/2018\/09\/14\/kilby-gate-isnt-going-away-and-it-highlights-communication-issues\/","title":{"rendered":"Kilby-Gate isn’t going away and it highlights communication issues"},"content":{"rendered":"

We don\u2019t have too many dramas in Summit County and the Snyderville Basin. However, changes to Kilby Road, which runs in front of Pinebrook to the Whole Foods is shaping up to be a doozy. \u00a0Therefore we\u2019ve decided to call this issue Kilby-Gate.<\/p>\n

For those who haven\u2019t been following the story, Summit County wanted to put in a Park and Ride across from Ecker Hill Middle School. Residents were worried about traffic coming off I-80 and speeding down<\/strong> the frontage road (Kilby Rd). The County listened and worked to mitigate the issue. They ended up building an unusual road with lots of curves, which is designed to \u201ccalm\u201d the traffic. It’s a known and standard principle, so it\u2019s not out in left field. However, one could argue that it was taken to an extreme with Kilby.<\/p>\n

Once the asphalt had dried, residents became enraged<\/strong> at the road design. Social media exploded with people questioning how the design was approved. I was at meetings where people berated the Public Works Director for building the road. Yet that was before paint was even put on the asphalt to designate lanes.<\/p>\n

Typically issues like this rise and abate quickly. Attention spans are short. However, this one seems to have staying power. People are now flying drones over Kilby Road to show how cars are driving into the bicycles lanes. Worse, it allegedly shows that Park City Transit Buses are driving into the bike lanes. That\u2019s not good. What it tells the public is that even professional drivers have problems with the course.<\/p>\n

I for one love the new bike lanes on the road. However, if a Park City Transit bus takes me out on my e-bike I probably won\u2019t be so enthused.<\/p>\n

I tried to look back to see how much communication there has been about this road. It seems the County tried to do an innovative design and it hasn\u2019t been well received<\/strong>. I found that there was a meet and greet<\/a> in March about the road. That was a full 4 months before construction began! Why weren\u2019t people up in arms then? Why didn\u2019t they jump all over the design months before it began? It\u2019s because the lead was buried.<\/p>\n

I think too often our government leaders don\u2019t want to anticipate criticism<\/strong> for fear of driving further criticism. They don\u2019t want to say, \u201cHey we made a road that is really different to slow cars down\u2026 but you may not like it\u2026 so we wanted to check with the community first before we started.” It\u2019s human nature after you have worked years on a project to just want to get it done. You don\u2019t want to hear the negativity. You don\u2019t want to think about starting over. It\u2019s hard.<\/p>\n

I think if Summit County had looked at this project, realized it was a major change<\/strong>, and worked from the position that most people are going to freak-out, they would have been better off. \u00a0If Summit County had ensured that the Park Record headline was \u201cKilby Road is going to be VERY DIFFERENT. You Better check it out. Speak now or forever hold your peace,\u201d it may have got people motivated to look at the design and provide feedback when it mattered.<\/p>\n

But that is the past. That ship has sailed.<\/p>\n

What we as residents should now be focused on are the roundabouts<\/strong> coming next year to Pinebrook and Jeremy. The County should be coming out right now and explaining everything they can possibly think of that you won\u2019t like. The roundabouts have a UDOT component which makes them even tougher to have control over.<\/p>\n

Let me pose a few questions:<\/p>\n