By Ian Scharine – To begin with, we would like to clarify the succession of committee chair announced in February’s update. It was reported that Kate Sturgeon “stepped down as committee chair”, rather, she chose not to run for chair in a successive year and Betsy Byrne was thus elected acting chair by the committee for 2016. With this topic in cue, December’s meeting on the 14th will feature a delicious catered meal courtesy of the County Bicycle Committee as well as elections to determine the executive positions for 2017. We welcome the public to attend and enjoy the festivities!
The past year has been productive and seen unprecedented strides made not only by Salt Lake County, but the state of Utah as a whole; beginning with the awarding of a federal Tiger Grant to multiple cities along the Wasatch Front area and northern Utah. This funding will be applied during the next several years to improve infrastructure, increase resources and expand Active Transportation (biking and walking) routes for all of our citizens. Next, Bike Utah spearheaded the revival of the Salt Lake County Bicycle Ambassadors Program as well as initiated the first bicycle education program focused at youth throughout the state. Both programs are off to groundbreaking and encouraging starts and we are enthusiastically awaiting to see what the next year will bring. Finally, a program known as the Latina Bike Initiative was funded and implemented by the County with great success. Director, May Romo, met with the committee in July and elaborated on the program’s focus. As a result, SLCBAC agreed to assist the program with funding and hopes to continue forging relationships with programs such as these and more diverse demographics in our community.
There is only one meeting remaining in the 2016 year and we believe that this year has seen us continue to develop and improve our focus on our Mission and service to the Salt Lake County Mayor’s office. Moving forward, if you know of any groups or organizations that may benefit from partnership with the Salt Lake County Bicycle Advisory Committee, please consider attending one of our public meetings held the second Wednesday of each month, or contact us at [email protected]. With the colder winter months ahead, make sure to keep warm and display noticeable illumination at night should you choose to ride. We wish you a happy holiday season and look forward to another progressive year for cycling in 2017!
For more information, visit bicycle.slco.org
