Summit County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a series of parking complaints made by a Timberline resident on Saturday when more than 70 cars were parked on the road near Woodward Park City.
The “belligerent” individual called the Sheriff’s Office three times to report that 74 cars were parallel parked on the eastbound shoulder of Kilby Road when Woodward’s parking lot became full and requested that all of the vehicles be towed, according to Summit County Sheriff’s Lt. Andrew Wright.
Woodward’s complimentary shuttle service, which runs every 15 minutes between Jeremy Ranch Elementary School and the Woodward parking lot each weekend, was also running full time.
Since the vehicles were not blocking traffic or causing serious safety concerns, the Sheriff’s Office decided not to tow the cars, as it would have required significant resources to do so. Wright said towing vehicles can also cause bigger issues by displacing large numbers of people.
Instead, deputies took a “common sense” approach and spent several hours issuing warnings to motorists. If parked cars do impede public traffic, deputies first attempt to make contact with the owner to move their vehicle. If they are unable to reach them, a warning or citation may be left. In cases where there are traffic concerns, the car may be towed to a safer location.
The following day, deputies also made contact with Woodward’s operations director regarding parking concerns. The director told deputies that he’s aware of the situation and is working with other employees to better educate patrons on parking and the free shuttle, but that there are upcoming events over the next four weekends that are likely to draw crowds, according to a report from the Sheriff’s Office.
Woodward plans to continue offering its shuttle service on Saturdays and Sundays through April 3 and has signage directing visitors to off-site parking and the shuttle.
“Woodward Park City regularly encourages visitors to use off-site parking or carpool on weekends through communications with guests and social media outreach. Additionally, we work closely with event organizers to communicate off-site parking to event participants,” Woodward said in a prepared statement in response to a Park Record inquiry.
Wright said he understands the frustrations over ongoing traffic and parking issues but that the Sheriff’s Office has limited resources to address the problem. He asks residents to have patience with tourists coming to town and for guests to “be good visitors” and observe local rules.
Deputies encouraged Woodward to work with the Sheriff’s Office to mitigate parking issues moving forward. The Public Works Department is also planning to visit the site to determine if more signage or barricades are needed along Kilby Road.