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SALT LAKE CITY — City officials could begin installing a new bike boulevard as early as this fall along 600 East as they try to make riding conditions safer for bikers and car drivers in the downtown area.
The new route will run on 600 East from 300 South to 2700 South, and cars will be expected to slow down to a 25-mph speed limit. Plans also include more signs, paint marks and bike and pedestrian signals.
“Many, many bicyclists are already using 600 East and this is a way to designate this as a quiet bicycling route,” said Robin Hutcheson, the transportation director for Salt Lake City. “We are also, as part of the project, going to use traffic signals to improve some of the crossings on busier streets such as 800 South and 900 South.”
It’s a welcome change for avid riders.
“I’m a little biased,” cyclist Eric Klapstein said. “As a cyclist, the more lanes we have available to us, the more comfortable.”
Klapstein and fellow rider Jesse Sugar prefer riding on 600 East with its lighter traffic than the streets on either side of it.
“I like to ride about five to six days a week at least,” Sugar said. “I ride because it just gets me out and free.”
Plenty of cyclists who use the route are happy, but critics said city officials should have done a better job of communicating their intentions. They said few people knew this change was coming.
Many, many bicyclists are already using 600 East and this is a way to designate this as a quiet bicycling route.
–Robin Hutcheson, SLC transportation director
The project was approved by the city three years ago as part of a capital-improvement program. But the city is just now getting to it.
“In our recent meeting, there was a fair amount of people that didn’t know anything about it,” said Gordon Gurr, vice chair of the Liberty Wells Community Council.
During a meeting last month, several residents voiced concerns about the project, including the speed limit reduction.
“They’re trying to discourage half the traffic, which is going to put traffic on other streets and make those heavier,” said Gurr, who added 600 East is already bike-friendly and no changes are needed.
But avid cyclists disagree, saying safer conditions for bikes and cars are always a good move.
“It makes you feel a little safer,” Klapstein said. “You have a spot carved out for you on the road.”
