By Marcus Kaller
Salt Lake County Bike Map
If you have frequented your favorite local bike shop, coffee shop, recreation center or even a city or county office, you may have noticed a great new resource. After several years of hard work surveying, GIS mapping, vetting input from city and county sources, and of course public input, Salt Lake County finally has an updated bikeways map! This resource was designed in collaboration with Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, UTA and UDOT and is the first comprehensive map for the residents of Salt Lake County in almost 10 years. The map not only provides routes along with route ratings for “comfort” levels, but a wealth of helpful and practical information for riders of all ages and experience levels. Public transit connections are listed as well as rules and regulations for cyclists and methods of using public transit in connection with Active Transportation. The Jordan Parkway has simultaneously released its own map to assist those who wish to navigate sections of this splendid resource as it connects neighborhoods and communities. Like the County map, this map includes details concerning transportation connections as well as information on several native plant and animal species and ongoing community development projects. Online copies of these maps exist in PDF format with app development for smartphones expected in the future. See http://bikeslc.com/WheretoRide/SLCBikeMap.html for pdf downloads.
Kids Bike Safety
A key element to being comfortable commuting by bike in an urban environment is safety. Ask any parent who wants to encourage their kids to ride early and ride often and they will tell you that helmets, lights and bells are vital resources they want their kids to use. However we all know that the most important resource is what that helmet protects and a responsible rider should know the rules and regulations for safe and legal conduct while sharing the road with motor vehicles. This goes for drivers as well, who should acknowledge that the roads must be shared with others in order for a safer commute for all of those involved. Salt Lake County has created a brief guide that contains tips, regulations and information that encourages road respect and how to safely commute while riding a bicycle and interacting with bicycles on the road. These brochures can be picked up at most county offices or you can visit www.bicycle.slco.org for more information.
Participate in the Salt Lake County Bicycle Advisory Committee
As the summer gets into full swing and concerts, festivals and the nightlife calls, SLCBAC urges safety and responsibility not matter how you decide to commute. Many downtown festivals offer bike parking and lights are an easy thing to buy or even score free as swag to help your commute home. We realize that not everyone always has the resources to attain training or hardware to keep safe while commuting. If you would like the committee or the Salt Lake County Bicycle Ambassadors to attend your local event or even sponsor a training session, please don’t hesitate to contact us via the County website http://slco.org/bicycle/ . We’re committed to improving both the physical and mental quality of cycling for our entire community. And please don’t forget that our meetings are open to the public and held on the second Wednesday of each month at the Salt Lake County Government Center at 2001 S. State Street, Salt Lake City in room N4-850 at 5:30pm.
