Higher Parking Violation Fines Coming Next Month In Big And Little Cottonwood Canyons

Ian Greenwood
·2 min read

Salt Lake County, Utah, announced on October 17th, that starting next month, parking violation fines will increase in the Little and Big Cottonwood Canyons, which are home to several popular ski areas like Alta, Snowbird, Brighton, and Solitude.

Previously, tickets were $25. Come next month, they will range from $75 to $150. Common violations include parking in no-parking zones, avalanche zones, and across white lines on the pavement.

Here are the details of the coming change.

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Salt Lake County reports that this change doesn't alter parking rules in either Canyon.

"This is one step to protect safety and keep traffic flowing," they wrote.

Both Canyons -- Little Cottonwood in particular -- have been a hotbed for debate in recent months because of increasing traffic problems. With the increased fines, Salt Lake County aims to reduce instances of incorrect parking that block roadways and cause congestion.

Responses to the change, while not overwhelmingly negative (it seems most skiers are on board with anything that can improve traffic in the Canyons), included several mentions of public transport, which several commenters noted remains lacking:

"Increase buses and add more bus routes! People want to take the bus!!! Being in line for the bus and still not getting on bc it is too full means the demand is there, but the supply is not. We need more routes bc the park-and-ride lots are full. Please," wrote one skier.

"Maybe we could use those parking fines to pay bus drivers more. Which would increase the number of bud drivers," said another.

The increased fines begin November 1st, so make sure you're playing by the parking rules in the Cottonwood Canyons unless you want to get hit with a meaty ticket.

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