Transportation and Infrastructure: A Community Approach

Author: Alexander Johnson

With the construction of the new Bangerter intersections in Riverton, my community (Parkside Riverton, right off 12600 S) has experienced a dramatic increase in traffic congestion. At most hours of the day, our neighborhood entrance is blocked by eastbound traffic stretching past Mountain View Corridor. Many neighbors have shared frustrations about waiting 5-10 minutes just to turn in or out, and some have even witnessed T-bone accidents.

After hearing these concerns, I decided to take action. I brought the issue to the Riverton City Council and asked for a simple but effective solution: painting “DO NOT BLOCK” at our neighborhood entrance on 12600 S. I authored the letter below, and even had 50 other families in my neighborhood sign on.

Following that City Council Meeting, and meetings with the Mayor, key city staff, and other elected officials, the request was approved; our road was painted two months later.

Did it solve the traffic issues we are experiencing? No. But it did directly respond to the concerns of our neighborhood, and has made a noticeable positive difference. While traffic remains heavy, residents can now enter and exit our neighborhood with much greater ease and safety.

This experience reinforced an important principle for me: small, effective and thoughtful changes can make a big impact. As your City Councilman, I promise to approach every issue with that same mindset: focusing on practical, community-driven solutions, that create lasting, positive changes for Riverton residents for this generation, and generations to come.

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Riverton City Council,

We, the residents of the Parkside community, are writing to express our concerns about a growing public safety issue in our neighborhood. 

As you are aware, ongoing construction on Bangerter Highway and the closure of 13400 South has made 12600 South the primary route to Herriman and western Riverton for thousands of residents. This has significantly increased traffic congestion, making it difficult and dangerous for Parkside residents to enter and exit our neighborhood. Traffic often backs up due to nearby signals, regularly blocking the only proper entrance and exit to our community. Residents must rely on the courtesy of other drivers to allow them through multiple lanes of traffic, creating unsafe conditions - especially when one lane yields while another continues moving. Many neighbors have voiced concerns about the dangers of making a left-hand turn into the community, as visibility is often obstructed, and traffic, even outside of rush hour, regularly blocks the intersection. 

Additionally, this issue is compounded by the lack of representation for our community. Parkside has been under construction since 2019, yet we still have no HOA board representing the community. No meeting minutes for our community exist because no homeowner-elected board has been established. When residents raise concerns, the HOA management company informs us that “the builder functions as the board during the declarant control period, and when the last homes are built, the association will transition to a homeowner-elected board. We do not provide contact information for board members. You are welcome to submit issues in writing to us, the HOA management company, to forward to the board for review.”

Residents have also been informed that there are plans to eliminate the current left-turn entrance into Parkside, replace it with a home, and construct a new road connecting to Old Liberty Way. However, there is no clear timeline for when this will happen. Until then, the only alternative for residents is to drive an additional 1.05 miles to 4570 W, down Dutchman Lane into Parkside - a long detour for such a high-traffic area on such a narrow road. 

We respectfully request that the city take the following actions:

1. Paint “DO NOT BLOCK INTERSECTION” at the entrance to Parkside. This would help improve the safety of residents attempting to make left turns and exit onto one of the city's busiest roads.

2. Encourage the HOA management company to expedite the completion of Dutchman Lane connecting to Old Liberty. This would provide residents with an alternative, safer entry and exit point for the community. 

While our HOA has yet to provide us representation, we encourage the city to take action and support the safety of our residents. Thank you for your attention to this matter. We look forward to your support in ensuring the safety of our community and Riverton residents.

Signed, (50+ Families in Parkside Neighborhood)