By Marcus Kaller
At the October 2017 Salt Lake County Bicycle Advisory Committee meeting, we were visited by Holly Smith, and Paul Allred from Holladay City to discuss the new park about to be built that will accommodate bicyclists. Knudsen Park, located at 6200 South Holladay Boulevard, will be over 6 acres, and will feature bike pathways, incorporating the pre-existing trails there, as well as pavilions, a playground, and a nature preserve. In addition, it will also include improvements to the intersection of 6200 South and Holladay Blvd., and overall help with connectivity for cyclists who travel to and from Big Cottonwood Canyon. During construction, which will be between November 2017 to Spetember 2018, the trails that run through the area will be closed. Therefore, designated detour routing will be 6200 South, from Holladay Blvd., to 2300 East, then southward on 2300 East to 6485 South to connect to the regional bike network. Detour wayward signage will be provided by the Holladay City. For more information, visit cityofholladay.comon Knudsen Park.
Meanwhile, Parley’s Trail was finally completed, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony back on October 17, connecting the Bonneville Shoreline Trail to 900 West. This eight-mile bike pathway now runs along I-80 between Tanner Park and 1700 East, and has the connecting bridge that connects 300 West to 900 West. The next phase will be the proposed section to connect the trail from 900 West to the Jordan River Parkway.
Winter Riding Tips
Finally, as winter approaches, many of you may still take to biking, whether for commuting or taking to the snow on your fat-tire bike. Earlier this year, I attended a seminar on winter commuting for cyclists and here’s what I learned:
First, dress appropriately for the wet weather. Make sure you have an outfit to keep yourself dry on the outside. Also, be sure to have something to keep your hands warm, whether it be gloves or bike mitts. Most importantly, though, dress warm, but not too warm. You do not want to end up sweating yourself on the inside to your detriment by putting on too many layers of clothing. Try to minimize your layering if you plan on riding your bike this winter.
Second, have something handy for red days. Inversions along the Wasatch Front have gotten worse during the winter months. So if you want to ride your bike to help lower the pollution levels, you need a mask to protect yourself from breathing in the harmful particulates in the air. Many cyclists I encountered used painter masks, which do better in filtering the finer particulates. Those can be found in hardware stores.
Finally, clean your bicycle. I recently replaced my bike chain because it rusted over from being out in the wet weather. So make sure you get lubricant made for bikes at your local bike shop or sorting goods store. And apply it gently on your chain about a day in wet weather.
That’s all for now. Have fun and be safe, as always.
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. For more information, visit http://slco.org/bicycle/
