Park City’s neighborhood street safety projects show promising early results

Installing the temporary Ledger Drive traffic circle. Photo: Park City Municipal

PARK CITY, Utah — Park City’s Neighborhoods First Streets Program is showing early signs of success, according to new data released by Park City Municipal.

The initiative, launched in response to widespread community requests for safer neighborhood streets, is testing temporary traffic-calming pilot projects throughout the summer. One of the first to be installed, a traffic circle at the intersection of Ledger Drive and Triton is already showing encouraging results.

Since its installation on June 5, the traffic circle has contributed to reduced vehicle speeds. Average speeds in both directions have dropped by about two miles per hour, while 85th percentile speeds, which indicate how fast most drivers are going, have decreased by three miles per hour heading southbound and five miles per hour northbound.

The intersection was selected due to persistent concerns about speeding, particularly as drivers head downhill on Ledger Drive toward the Clubhouse and a nearby school bus stop. By requiring drivers to slow down and navigate the circle, the design discourages fast, straight-through movement and promotes safer travel.

Another pilot project on Payday Drive also appears to be achieving its goals. Temporary medians and chicanes were installed to slow traffic along the residential corridor, and data collected before and after the installation shows a noticeable reduction in vehicle speeds.

Prior to installation, the 85th percentile speeds were 28 mph eastbound and 30 mph westbound. By Phase 2 of the project, those had dropped to 25 mph and 24 mph, respectively. Average speeds also declined steadily over the two phases, falling by more than 2.5 mph in each direction. Despite the slower speeds, the Average Annual Daily Traffic (AADT) remained relatively consistent, suggesting that the measures are calming traffic without significantly deterring use of the roadway.

City officials say community feedback is essential to evaluating the effectiveness of the pilot projects and determining whether adjustments are needed or if installations should be made permanent. Additional pilot efforts are already in place in other neighborhoods, and city officials will continue to gather data and community feedback over the coming months.

Want to give your feedback? Take the Neighborhoods First Survey.