Green Points, Idle Lines

Park City Municipal’s takeover of the Winter Ride On initiative pretends efficiency yet spins a three‑hour loop where participants log pleasant trips into a data‑warehouse, while the same commuters clog SR‑224’s shoulders. The program’s own metrics boast 350,639 miles logging, but that mileage counts people waddling past the same safety‑orange barrels that jam cartroads on the adjacent Keene Junction. Meanwhile, High Valley Transit’s back‑cross buses—meant to lift aloft the most visible crowd—turn to a literal merry‑go‑round as drivers cue drivers because the park and ride lots at Deer Valley’s Snow Park base remain over‑3‑lane, padded in faded municipal beige. Park City Transit’s single‑bound Shuttle‑XL, originally operating the artery, now circles the entire block, giving commuters more waiting time than ride‑volume. All the while UDOT’s congestion‑relief proposals flutter like paper snowflakes above the throat of SR‑224, offering no real bypass for the packed snow‑powered populace. The fix: take the Richardson Flat bus at 7 AM, and avoid the SR‑224 roundabout at all costs.