By Travis Jensen
These are exciting times for Bike Utah and for cyclists in general here in our fair state. By the time you read this article, we will have enjoyed the third annual Utah Bike Summit, which for the first time this year was organized and hosted by Bike Utah. As of this writing, we are on the verge of announcing a major corporate sponsorship, which will allow us to hire more staff and increase our outreach to communities throughout Utah. Sales of “Share the Road” special license plates ($20 from each plate bought goes to funding bicycle safety, education, and facility development) are going strong and helping to fund two upcoming Bike Utah campaigns.
The first campaign is “Get Lit”. The purpose of this campaign is to distribute front and rear light sets to approximately 400 cyclists across the state. Riding at night without proper lighting is a leading cause of serious and fatal injuries to cyclists. These types of crashes tend to disproportionately affect low-income populations that are less able to afford lights. Bike Utah is in talks with a bicycle accessory manufacturer about donating the lights, and we will soon be working with local police departments to discuss how to distribute them.
The second campaign is called “111 Miles in 2011”. The purpose of this campaign is to work with local bike advocates around the state to add 111 new miles of bike facilities in 2011. This includes on-street bike facilities, paved trails, and mountain bike trails. Bike Utah is already working with representatives in Washington and Summit counties, and will begin focusing on Grand, Cache, and Weber counties soon.
If you want to support the future of cycling in Utah, Join Bike Utah today! You can register online at www.bikeutah.org/Membership.
