Bicyclists in Salt Lake
By admin. Filed in Utah |
I just read this letter to the editor about how unfriendly Salt Lake City is to bicyclists:
It’s amazing how few legitimate bicycle lanes or bike paths exist here in Salt Lake City. Anyone trying to “do the right thing” by commuting to work by bicycle will not find the going easy or safe.
What you will find is half-hearted window dressing - signs proclaiming “bike lane” and a few blocks of striping where a little extra paved shoulder already happens to exist, then prolonged stretches where the cycler is forced to ride in the right lane of traffic and dodge parked cars. Busy intersections are really dangerous.
Bicycling magazine recently rated U.S. cities for bike-friendliness. Salt Lake City was rated poor. Many cities do much better than we do.
Huge sums are spent to subsidize suburban sprawl, with public money for auto infrastructure, yet we spend little to facilitate human-powered transportation. Many current officeholders promised to improve this situation. Was it just lip service?Bill Dennis
Salt Lake City
I don’t currently ride, but I used to, and probably will again as soon as I can afford a decent bike. So, for now I’m a driver dealing with this. I have to say that this goes both ways. I, as a driver, feel very unsafe, under these circumstances. When I see a cyclist having to use the main road, I have to slow down and find a way to move over a lane, or cut into the opposite side of the road, because I don’t feel like 6″ is enough room to give someone on a bike. I really hope that everywhere across the valley will upgrade biking lanes, and give us all a little bit of room.
And while I’m on the topic of bikes, I have to say that there are a lot of selfish, ignorant people out there. Drivers need to be a bit nicer to those on bikes, and realize that the cyclist is doing them an environmental favor. And cyclists that break laws, by riding on sidewalks, riding through crosswalks as though they were a pedestrian, or running red lights, need to realize that they’re giving other cyclists a bad name. (I wish sometimes that cops would start giving tickets for those offenses!)
So, whether you’re in a car or on a bike, start being nicer and obey the laws.
Can’t we all just get along?
Monday, June 9th 2008 at 2:07 pm
Misty, I can see it both ways too.
I definitely support more and better bike paths in the Salt Lake Valley, as well as more awareness between drivers and bikers. I encounter plenty of riders who don’t obey traffic laws/etiquette and they can be annoying/dangerous.
I do more mountain biking than street biking, but when I lived closer to work I used to bike there most days. Once when I was in a left turn lane, the driver of the car behind me didn’t understand that I was there legally and appropriately. He started popping off, swearing at me, revving his car to scare me, etc.
I’m a big enough boy and I can hold my own if it comes to it, but when it’s bike versus car- bet on the car. Just as the guy was starting to actually creep up to my back tire, another car pulled up with a bike rack. The bikers inside saw what was going on and a couple of them got out to defend me, ready to go to blows with the guy if necessary.
Luckily–finally–the I got my green arrow and booked off onto a side trail as soon as I made my left turn. I think it was ok, though, because the bikers in the other car seemed like they had my back.
I think with time, both riders and drivers will eventually become aware of the challenges each faces and be a bit more tolerant of each other. Until then, there are certain places in the valley I’ll avoid riding in.