Cities

The 19th century Mormon prophet Brigham Young instructed the builders of Salt Lake City to make the roads wide enough to allow horse-drawn carts to make U-turns. Whether or not you believe in prophets, you have to wonder whether he sensed how modern cyclists would struggle to share the road with motorists. Just as Young was concerned with the future of transportation in Salt Lake City, the city’s modern leaders foresee the necessity of improving the city’s cycling infrastructure.

Parked outside the Salt Lake City Hall you can often find mayor Ralph Becker’s well-loved commuter bike. Becker, a long-time commuter cyclist, has increased the cycling infrastructure budget from $50,000 to $500,000 to double the city’s 60 miles of bike lanes over the next several years. He and his Bicycle Advisory Committee have put the wheels in motion to establish a bicycle transit center at the Intermodal Hub in downtown Salt Lake City, with the hope of installing a bike share program.

Salt Lake City council member Luke Garrott recently organized the city’s first Bike Summit, featuring speakers mayor Becker and Gary Sjoquist, director of government relations for Bikes Belong. Four panels and 50 people strong, this inaugural bike summit was an impressive start to what will become an annual opportunity to continue the dialogue about cycling in Salt Lake City.

Garrott, a commuter cyclist who doesn’t own a car, spearheaded the Bike Summit to give cyclists the opportunity to meet and have policy-informing conversations about cycling infrastructure, ordinances, enforcement and economic development.

Becker noticed the need for a focus on cycling during his 2008 mayoral campaign. “I was surprised and encouraged to find that it was such a prominent issue for people in Salt Lake City,” he said. Citizens would tell him from their doorsteps that, “they would like to cycle more if not for concerns about their safety on the streets.” He has since made improvements in cycling infrastructure one of his top priorities.

Salt Lake City holds 11th place overall among US cities for its bicycle friendliness, according to the League of American Bicyclists, and is a “cycling mecca,” according to Becker. He said, “We have some incredible trails that go beyond the commuter population, that also serve great outdoor recreation experiences as well.”

Most Salt Lake City cyclists say the wide and level streets make the city easier and safer to ride than many US cities and their grid-like organization makes them relatively easy to navigate without a map. The addresses indicate how far – by number of blocks – each location is from the city center. The city also has moderate weather, with four distinct seasons making for a temperate riding climate.

Lindsey Howard, a local cyclist, says that the city is rideable in all seasons. “It is a common sight to see cyclists riding around Salt Lake in the spring, summer and fall. In the winter, there’s a lot of solidarity between cyclists. On most of my winter rides, if I was riding in the same direction as someone else, we’d tend to ride together for a few blocks and chat about bikes, fenders or commuting.”