Next Monday, the 17th, we're going to try something a little different. We're going to Ride for a Better 17th S followed by an open meeting! We'll highlight an existing gap in our bike network by meeting up at Wasatch Hollow Preserve starting at 530 pm and feel free to bring materials to DIY a sign for your bike. We'll depart at 6 pm and roll down 17th S to 300 W then head up north to Central Ninth for an open meeting at Scion Cider, arriving around 630 pm. Feel free to attend one or the other, or both!
Monday, June 17th
5:30 PM - Start gathering at the south end of Wasatch Hollow Preserve near the lot by 17th S
6:00 PM - Ride starts rolling west down 17th S
6:30 PM - Arrive at Scion Cider in Central Ninth
Why 17th S? If you've ever biked 17th S, you'll know it's far from a safe place to be. The bike lanes are inconsistent often mixing you with traffic unexpectedly making for a dicey situation for bike riders AND drivers. If you've tried riding here and wanted to avoid it.. you can't! At least not without a 1+ mile detour.
Plus, 17th S is a vital east/west connection that could offer relief from busier 13th and 21st S. 17th S is slated for improved bike lanes west of Jefferson St / 300 W next year, but is in dire need of improvements between State St and 13th E. 17th S connects 8 different SLC neighborhoods plus the upcoming Glendale Regional Park, the Jordan River Trail, the 300 W bikeway, Main St, 6th and 8th E Byways, the upcoming 7th E path, McClelland Trail, Wasatch Hollow, and a whole lot more!
If you like this idea of featuring a walking/biking/transit route to an open meeting, or have your own ideas, feel free to reply to this email and let us know!
Join us to Ride for a Better 17th S!
Please note:
- The ride will be held on live streets, without any escort. While there is comfort in numbers, participants should be aware of the unavoidable risks of traveling in spaces designed for driver convenience. 17th S prominently features a “shared lane”, meaning bike riders are encouraged to take the lane. This is scary to do as a lone rider, but means we’ll be doing as the transportation engineer intended on this ride - take the lane. This is exactly why we’re doing this ride - to bring attention to infrastructure in dire need of retrofitting.
- Where there are bike lanes, they are commonly painted shoulder lanes, inadequate for more than 1 person. In these areas, we’ll take a lane as it is necessary for our safety.
- At intersections and on our new bike paths at 300 W and the 9-Line, please be aware of pedestrians and other bike riders, always defer to pedestrians! Move over for oncoming bike traffic. Anyone whose behavior is deemed to intentionally violate this hierarchy will be asked to exit the ride.
- All non-gasoline powered mobility devices are welcome on the ride.
- Worried about the hill to Wasatch Hollow? If your timing is right, the 17 bus runs (sadly) every hour, or you can find a more frequent bus like the 9 (900 S) or 21 (2100 S) and roll down to Wasatch Hollow. The end point at Scion Cider has many frequent transit options, like all three Trax lines and the 9 bus.