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Murray Journal

Ski & Snowboard News / Brighton's new parking policy is "Do the right thing."

Dec 27, 2019 09:12AM ● By Harriet Wallis

"We're trying to urge people to do the right thing," said Brighon Manager Randy Doyle / photo: Harriet Wallis

FLASHBACK to LAST WINTER

Many days last year, bumper to bumper traffic crept up the Cottonwood Canyons toward the ski resorts. Resort parking lots got packed solid. Many days when traffic reached the entrance to Brighton, cops had to turn cars around and head them back down the canyon. There was absolutely no place to put them. All parking was totally jammed.

The problem: Too many cars on the twisting canyon roads and no place to park.


NEW PARKING POLICY at BRIGHTON

Instead of slamming guests with hard rules, Brighton is calling on skiers and riders to use their good sense and take part in solving the parking issue. Here's how it works.

Busy times policy -- for weekends, holiday periods, days with fresh snow, and unexpected busy days

A car with just the driver will park in the Brighton Store lot and take the Brighton shuttle to the main day lodge. The shuttle runs continuously -- around and around -- all day long between the lot to the lodge from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. It's free. Hop on. Hop off.

"Some people are bending over backwards to be cooperative," said Brighton Manager Randy Doyle.

Busy times policy includes this:

As the main lot fills up, a portion of of the lot will then be reserved for high occupancy vehicles.

"We're trying to take care of families," said Doyle. It's easier for a single adult who drove alone to hop on and off the shuttle bus than it is for a family. For a family with little kids, the parents are hauling the family's collection of skis and boards, and it's hard for little kids with short legs to climb the steps on and off the shuttle bus. It would slow things down a lot.

"It's not a monetary thing," emphasized Doyle, "because kids 10 and under ski free."

Our system "is not going to be perfect, but we're trying to urge people to do the right thing," Doyle said.

The lot is full / photo: Harriet Wallis

Every day policy

Brighton says: Please ride the UTA ski bus. It's free with a Brighton season pass or an Ikon pass.

Arrange carpools with the R.I.D.E. app. It's the high tech version of thumbing a ride. Snowbird started it last year, and all the resorts use it this year. Download the iOS Snowbird R.I.D.E. app or the Android Snowbird R.I.D.E. app.