Park City officers stop drivers well over speed limits during crowded period – The Park Record
A digital speed sign on Monday afternoon showed some of the vehicles inbound on S.R. 224 were traveling at speeds well above the limit of 45 mph. The Park City Police Department last weekend and during the last workweek pulled over a series of drivers suspected of speeding, including cases along S.R. 224.
Jay Hamburger/Park Record
The Park City Police Department pulled over a series of drivers suspected to be speeding last weekend and during the last workweek as officers patrolled the roads with the community appearing to draw solid crowds even with the Sundance Film Festival occurring online rather than as an in-person event.
Speeding and other traffic violations have long been some of the chief complaints to the Police Department. The agency regularly conducts traffic patrols, and the cases last week seemed to be similar to those during other busy stretches.
The Police Department said in a statement the recent efforts were “typical proactive peak traffic practices” and included assistance from other law enforcement agencies.
“These efforts are part of our ongoing priority to mitigate traffic impacts during peak visitor days and are based on data that includes lodging projections. We have, however, kept some extra resources as we weren’t certain what this week would bring. As we gauge what is needed; we have been adjusting our numbers,” the police said.
Some of the cases last week included:
• on Sunday, Jan. 23 at 11:08 a.m., an officer stopped a driver at or close to the intersection of S.R. 224 and Meadows Drive. The police said the vehicle was traveling 55 mph in a location where the posted speed limit is 40 mph. The police issued a written warning.
• on Jan. 23 at 10:54 a.m., an officer pulled over a driver in the area of S.R. 224 and Holiday Ranch Loop Road after observing the vehicle traveling at 48 mph in a spot where the posted speed limit is 40 mph. The driver received a written warning.
• on Jan. 23 at 10:18 a.m., a driver was stopped on the 2000 block of Park Avenue at 56 mph in a location where the posted speed limit is 40 mph. The police issued a written warning.
• on Jan. 23 at 10:10 a.m., a driver was pulled over at 57 mph in a location where the posted speed limit is 40 mph, prompting the police to issue a written warning. Public police logs indicated the traffic stop occurred in Thaynes Canyon, but it seems likely the driver was on nearby S.R. 224.
• on Jan. 23 at 9:29 a.m., a driver was stopped in the area of the intersection of S.R. 224 and Meadows Drive at 57 mph in a location where the posted speed limit is 40 mph. The driver received a written warning.
• on Jan. 23 at 3:16 a.m., the police stopped a driver on S.R. 248 for a suspected speeding violation. Public police logs did not provide details about the speed involved but indicated the vehicle’s registration was expired. The police said there might have been an error leading to the registration issue, describing that a firm “messed up and put the trailer registration on the truck,” according to department logs.
• on Saturday, Jan 22 at 11:09 p.m., a speeding vehicle was stopped in the area of the intersection of Kearns Boulevard and Buffalo Bill Drive. The department said the driver indicated “he was just starting to slow down when he saw” the officer. Public police logs did not provide details about the speed.
• on Jan. 22 at 8:33 a.m., cars were reported to be speeding on Royal Street. The police were told the vehicles were traveling at 50 mph in a location where the posted speed limit is 20 mph. It was not clear from department logs whether the police confirmed the speeds.
• on Wednesday, Jan. 19 at 5:38 p.m., the police were told of a driver traveling at speeds topping 80 mph on Kearns Boulevard.
The police, meanwhile, last week also made a series of other traffic stops, including for suspected violations like making a wide turn at the intersection of Deer Valley Drive and Bonanza Drive, driving the wrong way and not stopping at a stop sign in Old Town and running a red light at the Park Avenue-Thaynes Canyon intersection. On Jan. 22 at 8 a.m., an officer stopped a driver on Park Avenue after observing the vehicle travel through a solid red light at a crosswalk. There was a pedestrian crossing at the time, the police said.
