Bicycle advocacy groups promote cycling and safer streets in Salt Lake City

SALT LAKE CITY – Unplugged Wellness and Salt Lake City Fixed: Two bicycle advocacy groups are encouraging people to get outside and use the city’s infrastructure. They explained that safety concerns could be a reason why people are against cycling.

“We need significant improvement in this area, we have had pedestrian and cyclist fatalities over the years and we want to eliminate those,” said Dan Dugan, Salt Lake City Council District 6.

Unplugged Wellness shared that their mission is to make people more alive. They enjoy teaching people how to ride bikes safely.

“The average American spends 11 hours a day in front of screens, 50% of Americans do not get outdoor recreation. Bikes help us connect with our place and community, and they’re fun,” said Lucas Matelich, Unplugged Wellness.

The founder of SLC Fixed Gear also hopes people will join his bike community.

“Fortunately, there are bike paths like the Nine Line or the S-Line. But we also have some bike paths, so we use what we have,” said Nick Santos, SLC Fixed.

The Salt Lake City Council is working with residents to identify areas that can be improved.

“We’re listening, we want your feedback and input because I want to go into these neighborhoods and say, ‘Hey, we have some ideas about how we can help your neighborhood slow down traffic,'” Dugan said.

Share that this is a citywide effort.

“Across the community, not just on the driver side, the distracted driver side, but also the distracted walker side, we need to follow the traffic laws, but we also just need to slow down. “We should not be in a hurry, but rather take a little time to make your streets and your streets safer for everyone,” Dugan said.

Matelich has some suggestions of his own: “Wider bike lanes, lining bike lanes with bollards, even painting the bike lanes creates a visual barrier.”

Councilman Dan Dugan says the city wants change. “We need to approve our roads so they are safe for pedestrians, cyclists, scooter riders and motorists. Vision 0, the mayor announced that we want to be Vision 0 and have no more deaths by 2035. That’s our goal,” Dugan said.

“We are also tackling the issue citywide by responding quickly to calm traffic in specific hotspots and neighbors know where those hotspots are. We are working with residents and the Department of Transportation to calm traffic in certain locations,” said Salt Lake City Council District 6 Dan Dugan.

Find ways to slow traffic. “Light bulbs are out, making the road narrow at a crosswalk leading to a school,” said Dan Dugan, Salt Lake City Council District 6.

Avid cyclists in Salt Lake City say there are some problem areas. “There are some roads that are very dangerous, the cars drive very fast or the bike path just disappears. 7th East is basically a highway, there’s a bike lane on it, but no one ever rides on it because it’s so unsafe,” he told Santos.

The cycling groups said it’s the basics that matter. “Have seamless infrastructure, protect pedestrians and cyclists, and have designated areas where cars can drive separately,” Santos said.

With safer streets, more people could have more confidence in using city infrastructure. “I don’t think the responsibility lies with the drivers. I think the responsibility lies with the infrastructure. If we make the city better and the streets safer, we don’t have to rely on drivers,” Matelich said.

Santos shared that he is grateful that the city is committed to safer streets. “Pedestrians and cyclists are often the minority and cars get the bigger stage. When I hear that we have someone speaking for us, that is great and that is the reason why we will continue to create bike paths and bike paths,” Santos said.

According to Unplugged Wellness, it’s important for drivers to know the rules of the road and stay alert. “You have to be constantly aware, ride properly, ride confidently, that’s the number one thing that stops a lot of new people from cycling and we’re here to wave the flag when we ride together with ‘know-how’, that “It’s actually safe,” Matelich said.

SLC Fixed and Unplugged Wellness invites people to bike tours and wants to spread the joy of cycling to others.

“Let’s get more butts on bikes,” Matelich said.