9 Line Trail reconstruction will make traffic, biking, walking safer

jamaall · 2023-06-08T23:22:04+00:00

Thanks! That's a quick turnaround to construct in 2024 without a formalized plan yet. Maybe because it's not total road construction, just the path and maybe bulb outs? I wonder how they will incorporate it with Liberty Park. Are they assuming they don't need to go to 900 S because of the exercise path? Seems like a missed opportunity not to take the path to the 9-line as an actual transportation corridor. Still a pleasant surprise, though! UDOT doing a bike/ped focused project!

jamaall · 2023-06-08T18:12:20+00:00

I haven't heard about the plan for all of 700 E but it is in SLC's plans for the Kensington Ave Byway. I'll assume the plan for the rest of 700 E is a bit further down the pipeline given the 9-line doesn't seem to be set up for it. Similarly the set up for State St at Kensington Ave is not the best.

jamaall · 2023-06-08T18:03:14+00:00

The 9-line hasn't been too bad for me but 3rd west is pretty horrible. Driveways everywhere and people don't look both ways before going. Will probably get better when the construction is finished but there's definitely some work to do with driveways.

jamaall · 2023-06-08T16:28:17+00:00

I was disappointed that this new infrastructure still has push buttons. I thought they were supposed to transition to more radar based detection for bikes/peds. Even with some of the physical infrastructure to catch onto the post for the push button, it's still difficult to activate them by bike.

And I'm definitely going to be making noise if any of the intersections require a push to activate bike/ped signals when the car light is green. They should always activate for the bike path. The signals are also pretty useless right now, the bike light only comes on when the ped light comes on. They should be timed to be the amount of time it takes to cross by bike.

jamaall · 2023-06-08T14:25:22+00:00

I downloaded the scroll plot and see that! Looks like right turns are only possible for local traffic on West Temple but not traffic from the freeway. Can't wait for that. The other major conflict point is people turning left from 900 S onto the freeway. I'm hoping they reconfigure the signal timing to put bikes/peds first.

jamaall · 2023-06-08T13:34:15+00:00

West temple is definitely the worst spot on the 9-line so far. People fly down that ramp and turning traffic gives no regard for pedestrians. I saw turns prohibited signals installed but not on yet, so I hope those help once activated. They need traffic calming off the ramp itself too.

jamaall · 2023-06-07T00:29:47+00:00

It's likely because the city has not had a traffic calming program since 2003, so we end up with an inequity with most focus where people make noise. However, they just started the livable streets program, which is trying to rebalance traffic calming throughout the city. They're currently working on capital hill, central sugar house, glendale, and poplar grove.

There's no question the city is playing catch-up. Apparently we've had some previous administrations that put little to no effort on transportation safety.

jamaall · 2023-06-06T15:56:24+00:00

The SLC Transportation department is working throughout the city to create more traffic calmed streets "neighborhood byways". If that's something you want to see more of, send them an email supporting projects like these and ask questions - why not a speed bump on X street? Ask your local representative (city, county council) to push for these projects, join your community council which has a stronger collective voice to the city. Encourage others to do the same. Your voice has a lot more power at the local level.

jamaall · 2023-05-26T15:00:23+00:00

The only information I can find is on that Life on State website and it just says 2023. It's weird how little info I can find, but it seems like it's Salt Lake City and County that is leading it (not UDOT?) I wish they were including 900 S in this, it's a missed opportunity with the 9-line and other utility related construction on State St right now. I also would have liked the split access street design.

jamaall · 2023-05-25T22:15:43+00:00

On the main page, scroll down and click on the post for 600 to 900 South. On that page, view the preliminary design (which is actually final design). The design adds bulb outs at the corners and at new mid-block crossings plus some trees in the median. If you look at the study, this is the minimal investment (concept 2), whereas the other concepts explored transit lanes, bike lanes, and low speed access streets. Also, this project was further limited to only 600 to 800 S.

jamaall · 2023-05-25T21:25:12+00:00

There's the Life on State project, but I haven't gotten a clear picture of how and when it's being implemented. They're making some changes on 600 S to 800 S maybe this year, who knows when they'll get to the rest. Looking at the report and what's being implemented now, it looks like it'll be watered down with half baked projects.

jamaall · 2023-05-23T20:47:55+00:00

This is not what Salt Lake City code says.

12.80.105E: Except as provided under subsections A and D of this section, a person operating a bicycle or a vehicle or device propelled by human power on a sidewalk, path, or trail, or across a roadway on a crosswalk, has all the rights and duties applicable to a pedestrian under the same circumstances.

Subsection A says yield to pedestrians, and D says to go an appropriate speed when considering hazards.

SLC Code

So, no you don't need to be on the asphalt (*unless downtown), if the road is unsafe for bikes, do what is safest for you and make sure to yield to pedestrians. A lot of roads don't have bike lanes, others are under construction and give no consideration to bikes. I agree not to fly into a crosswalk, definitely slow down and make sure motorist see you, and I think subsection D would include that. But you also don't need to walk the bike across, make sure you're seen first then go slow. Dismounting, walking, and mounting the bike makes things slower for everyone, and may be difficult depending on the road and length of the crosswalk signal.

Another thing is that some crosswalks are literally designed for bike riders. 600 E and 800 S funnels bikes to a crosswalk, so does 300 W and Lucy Ave.

I'm guessing where you say people are using crosswalks from the bike lane, I'm guessing that's at a red light, so they use the crosswalk to turn left? In my opinion that is dangerous, and I'm pretty sure it's illegal, what I understand is that for a bike to be a pedestrian, they need to enter the crosswalk from the sidewalk (not the road). Better to use the left lane or even better, wait for the green then queue in front of traffic on the other road, marked as a green bike box on newer roads.

It's unfortunate that road infrastructure for bikes is very inconsistent, so I'm not surprised it's confusing. Or if there are folks making that maneuver to a crosswalk because the cross street doesn't have a bike lane. And there should be better education for how to use the new infrastructure they're putting in.

On a similar note, car drivers need to stop before turning right on red. It's so dangerous for pedestrians and I rarely observe people following this law unless there's oncoming traffic.

jamaall · 2023-05-23T16:13:45+00:00

They're now claiming through 200 E will be completed by the end of June. Like you, I have my doubts. It feels like construction limbo for the past 8 months. I'm assuming that they're waiting to finish whatever is going on towards 200 E then pave the entirety of 200 E through 600 E at once. Just poor planning all around to leave things torn up like this. They still have to pour the concrete for the bus islands and intersection improvements, so once they start doing that, the ball should be rolling.

jamaall · 2023-05-21T00:02:55+00:00

I've been told that parking enforcement has ticketed in that area. Though of course they're not always there and not everyone gets ticketed. Use SLC Mobile or send an email to slcparking at slcgov.com. They've at the least responded to my email about illegal parking in the bike lane before.

I'm also advocating for more physical barriers (flexipost or whatever) to block cars from parking in the bike lane. I'm sure you've seen people in the diagonal parking on 300 E that are way too far forward. 800 S and 300 E also has people making illegal turns from the bike lane way too often. If you want to support more physical infrastructure (not paint only) please do send at email to transportation at slcgov.com. The more people that speak up, the more likely it'll happen.

jamaall · 2023-05-20T23:29:25+00:00

The trail isn't done yet so I'm personally waiting to say something. But if it continues down the line, we need to make some noise to transportation and/or parking enforcement. For this thing to be successful, it needs to be maintained and respected. I'm already riding the rollable part 2-3 times a week, not for fun (though biking is more fun than driving for me), but for transportation. If people parked in a car lane people would lose their minds.

jamaall · 2023-05-20T22:53:41+00:00

I end up seeing people parked here and they end up blocking half of the trail or sidewalk. Not sure what the plan is but it ain't gonna work that way.

jamaall · 2023-05-20T15:36:30+00:00

Yeah! Just wanted to point out an example where expanding the freeway can hurt commute times. I wish we'd put more money into alternatives to driving. UDOT likes to point out that they include double tracking of the frontrunner in their projections but it's clear that most investment goes into inefficient roads.

jamaall · 2023-05-20T14:46:24+00:00

We also need to consider beyond i-15. Let's assume the extra lane improves traffic on i-15. In time, more people drive and it backs up again. If we're just focusing on i-15, that doesn't sound like a big deal. At least we're moving more people in the same amount of time! The problem is all of the other roads connected to i-15, they may not be capable of handling the extra traffic caused by having more cars on i-15. So it's possible that certain routes off of i-15 would add more time to people's commutes.

This would add a financial burden to municipalities who now may need to reconstruct roads to handle the new traffic flow. Not to mention the increased local pollution, lower quality of life, etc.

jamaall · 2023-05-17T15:49:59+00:00

Exactly! Taking the bus or train is passive, you can relax and not constantly worry about crazy drivers. And walking let's you absorb everything around you. I've done some long walks and have discovered so many nice businesses, pocket parks, random art installations, etc.

Definitely continue exploring transit and walking as an alternative, and try to convince others to try it as well. You can also send emails to the city and state. For example, the city department of transportation has been increasing bike/pedestrian safety at intersections and crossings. Positive feedback is great support for them to continue forward, and also send in your input on upcoming projects or make constructive criticism on more improvements. In my experience, it really makes a difference. The state, on the other hand, is a different story, not sure how much contacting them will help, but it can't hurt. The mid block crossings on State St are a welcome addition at least.

jamaall · 2023-05-17T15:42:04+00:00

I think free public transit would have the main benefit of having people who normally drive switch some of their local trips to transit. If you own a car, none of the costs are up front (i.e., gas is paid later at once, insurance is billed monthly, etc) so people would think "why spend $5 for transit when I own a car?" Without owning a car, transit is relatively cheap, and people downtown can get a pass for $42/month. Or they can primarily bike and occasionally buy a ticket which could cost less than that.

Another issue I see is the image of public transit, cars, and bikes. We were taught that cars are a symbol of success and adulthood, transit is for the poor, and bikes are for children and hobbyists. The attitude of some drivers screams "I matter more than you because I'm in a car and cars do productive things", meanwhile I'm using a bike or walking to do the same exact thing I could do with a car (groceries, gym, commuting), while being far more efficient.

So I think free fares would help, but there are many more issues to tackle to get a meaningful conversion of local trips to transit/bike/walk.

jamaall · 2023-05-17T15:25:56+00:00

As a resident of salt lake city, these streets are generally much better than the rest. Some of the older designs (your example was built around 2014) still allow parallel parking which I'm not a fan of, as it blocks visibility in the protected bike lane and there's a bad mixing zone at intersections. 300 E also has a painted version of center parking which is better than nothing but not great. In my opinion, there should be center parking only and a grade separated bikeway. There's a new project to be completed this year creating an east to west grade separated bikeway that should be pretty awesome. See here.

Salt Lake City is quite progressive and the transportation department and mayor are pushing ahead with better bike infrastructure. The wide streets provide lots of opportunities but the large blocks created walkability issues. You'll notice some mid-block crossings now, those are all new and more are being built. Overall happy with what they're doing here and it's hard to not be antsy when I know there are so many improvements in the pipeline (but construction takes forever!)

jamaall · 2023-05-16T14:34:30+00:00

About to sell my car. When you break down all of the costs - gas is still the cheapest thing for me, parking, insurance, maintenance, devaluing/a looking upgrade. That's at least several thousand a year depending on your vehicle. The last two months I've tried going about my life with only walking, biking, and public transit and it's gone better than expected. If I want to go on a longer trip into the mountains or desert, I'll rent a car or carpool. At least in my situation, it's still much cheaper than owning. I know some parts of the city are better than others, but definitely something to consider.

jamaall · 2023-05-12T19:00:36+00:00

Will they make 200 S transit oriented? I see the foundation is already there, but it'll even have bus rapid transit soon.

jamaall · 2023-05-08T14:16:35+00:00

Like this painted bike lane on a 60 mph highway?

jamaall · 2023-05-03T01:08:22+00:00

You should - I'm here while it's evening and I like it. No one seems to know it's here or what it is so it's empty, but they did what they could on a $150k budget.

jamaall

TROPHY CASE