By Marcus Kaller — In our March meeting, UDOT Active Transportation manager Heidi Goedhart put forth a new initiative to encourage people to adopt a more active lifestyle in Utah. Move Utah is the new program, created from the Road Respect program, aims at getting people, and especially families, to get out and move, whether by bicycle or on foot. Among its initiatives are to emphasize integrated transportation planning, identify the benefits of health and activity, improve the quality of life for the communities, enhance law enforcement through education, and encourage respect between roadway users. Move Utah aims to be an excellent resource for communities to implement active transportation plans, be a visible advocate for the public.
With the return of warmer weather, I encourage you the reader to encourage your family for a bicycle outing. Or invite a friend or two for a group bicycle ride. Or, look for bikes groups on platforms, such as Facebook and MeetUp. And I would like to inform you that there are some fun activities coming up in the month of May.
On May 19, the annual Pedalpalooza will be held at Butterfield Park (6212 West Butterfield Park Way) in Herriman. There will be safety checks on both bikes and helmets, children’s bike rodeo, helmet decorating, and raffle drawings for prizes including bikes and scooters for children. More information can be found at http://pedalpalooza.infinitecycles.com/.
On June 2, the Wasatch Front Regional Council will hold the first annual Golden Spoke event. This will start with two separate group rides, one starting at Rainbow Gardens near Ogden Canyon, while the second will start at Bridal Veil Falls in Provo Canyon. The two rides will converge and meet up at the Fisher Mansion on 200 South and the Jordan River Parkway for festivities there. Both the group rides and the celebration are free to join, but you must register first. If you find out more at http://wfrc.org/programs/active-transportation/golden-spoke/.
And if you want to raise money for charity and ride your bike, you’re in luck. Great Cycle Challenge USA returns, with the opportunity to ride and raise money for the Children’s Cancer Research Fund (CCRF) during the month of June. You can organize a team to log your miles together and send your mileage from your fitness app of choice. In addition, there is an opportunity for prizes, including a bike giveaway. Check it out at https://greatcyclechallenge.com/, and registration is free.
Also, if you know someone who doesn’t know how to ride a bike, you can inform them about the Bike Ambassadors. They hold classes for adults on how to ride a bicycle. And they have started hosting classes on bike maintenance. Each class covers a different topic, from fixing a flat tire to basic bike maintenance. You can find out more on the Salt Lake County Bike Ambassadors’ Facebook page and on https://slco.org/active-transportation/bicycle-ambassador-program/. If you need to fix your bike, these are great resources.
And, as always, the Salt Lake County Bicycle Advisory Committee meet every second Wednesday of each month in Room N2-800, at the County Government Center (2001 S. State St.), beginning at 5:30pm. You can contact us at slco.org/bicycle, @slcbac on Twitter, and on Facebook.
Let’s start riding!
