By Ian Scharine
The Salt Lake County Bicycle Advisory Committee enters 2017 with a Board full of fresh faces and energy to lead its efforts. Aaron Searle replaces Betsy Byrne as elected chair, while newcomer Kaleb Holt steps into the vice-chair position. The group looks forward to opportunities and development throughout the year to benefit the community and fulfill its role advising County Mayor Ben McAdams in all bicycle-related matters. We encourage the public to attend our meetings held the second Wednesday of each month at the County Government Complex in room N2-800. Complete details and a listing of 2017 meetings can be found at: www.slco.org/bicycle.
As of January, northern Utah has seen more snow than locals have become accustomed to in these drought years. Nevertheless, it is still possible to spot bicyclists at any hour of the day on roads and bike paths. Concerned citizens have repeated the request that city parks and roadways are plowed as well as well-ridden bike paths. With added lanes in the city this has been no small task this season and efforts to clear these paths are appreciated, no matter whoever is leading the charge. As the county’s population continues to grow the number of bicyclists will continue to grow with it. This year is a great year to make a resolution to support bicycling infrastructure and safety throughout the state.
The committee already has an active year planned with the Utah Bike Summit in Ogden this year on March 14th as well as the National Bike Summit in Washington D.C the same month. We expect to build on a successful 2016 and will continue to pursue our mission and goals with partners and assistance from the Mayor’s office. You can help us out by attending meetings, providing valuable feedback through one of our communications channels (Twitter, Facebook, the County website), and linking us to community resources and organizations. Have a cause or organization that you think can benefit from our efforts? Let it be known, attend one of our meetings or ask them to; we will even give them time on our agenda (when possible) to explain themselves and their needs!
For more information, visit bicycle.slco.org
