By Ian Scharine – It has been another busy summer for the Salt Lake County Bicycle Advisory Committee, and as we greet the fall great news has been announced. Scarcely three months have passed since Salt Lake, Weber, Davis and Summit counties applied for a federal Tiger Grant. These types of grants are challenging to attain with only a handful of communities across the country being awarded funding based on their applications. In a fortuitous instance, all parties from Utah were chosen to receive the funding requested. The combined matching funding from Salt Lake and the surrounding counties amounts to approximately $80 million in funding which will be invested over the next several years.
What this means for Salt Lake and its neighboring counties and commuters is that improvements to transportation and infrastructure will now have critically needed funding to develop. As these funds are delegated to public resources and projects, residents can expect improvement of roads, walkways, facilities and Active Transportation options. Additionally, it will be critical for citizens to pay attention to announcements during the next several months regarding public meetings and planning strategy announcements. As recipients of this federal grant money it is important that our county administrators have feedback on how and where it will be spent to best serve citizens.
Another encouraging development was announced by Bike Utah as the school year prepared to open. The Youth Bicycle Education and Safety Training Program will offer an informal approach to reaching out to 5th -7th grade students throughout Salt Lake County. This program has SLCBAC’s support in assisting efforts to contact afterschool programs, PTA organizations and school administration. We believe that it is imperative that future generations realize the potential and benefits bicycles and Active Transportation offer. Bike Utah’s program will target a young demographic to introduce safe and healthy practices in riding and interacting with other traffic on bicycles. If you are involved in school programs or have students at a school and would like to receive training, please contact Bike Utah at [email protected].
Below are the remaining SLCBAC meetings for the 2016 year. The public is encouraged to attend these meetings held on the second Wednesday of each month at the County Government Center. More information can be found on our website at: www.slco.org/bicycle
Wed. Oct. 12, 2016– 2nd Weds in October
Wed. Nov. 9, 2016– 2nd Weds in November
Wed. Dec. 14, 2016– 2nd Weds in December
