I can’t figure out why the Utah Department of Transportation thinks a gondola might be the right solution for traffic in Little Cottonwood Canyon. I agree it is a bold idea, as one of its boosters depicts it. But boldness isn’t necessarily the optimal way to judge our choices. I prefer pragmatism.
The best solution is one that’s effective in clearing the traffic, can be put in place quickly, costs us the fewest tax dollars, and has the least impact on the whole range of uses in the canyon. That isn’t a gondola. It’s having a toll at the bottom of the canyon combined with buses that run every minute or so.
Any solution — gondola, buses or rail — requires a place to park in the valley. However, once parking is in place, buses combined with tolls will clear up traffic immediately, whereas a gondola would still be years and hundreds of millions of dollars in the future. And unlike the gondola, the buses won’t destroy the views that allow us to imagine we’re alone in the wilderness if we’re doing something other than skiing.
I realize buses aren’t bold. They are simple. But simple can be best.
Steven L. Glaser, Holladay
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