2023 Election Surveys: Mayor
Q1: In 2023, Mayor Mendenhall committed Salt Lake City to Vision Zero, a nationwide effort to eradicate traffic deaths through evidence-based and pedestrian-safe street improvements. Do you support the city’s commitment to Vision Zero? If so, how do you plan to overcome the likely opposition to change from residents in your district? If not, what strategies do you support for mitigating the loss of life on city streets?
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Erin Mendenhall (Incumbent): Yes. Every street deserves to be the safest street in our city. I committed to Vision Zero because too many people were being hurt or killed on our streets by traffic violence and I’m not going to stop working to achieve it. We took that step after lowering the speed limit on most city streets to 20 miles per hour, and after forming a Safe Streets Task Force with partners from local and state transportation and law enforcement agencies. As you know well, the speed-limit reduction and other traffic-calming measures face stiff opposition from some residents. Not every problem can be solved in one fell swoop — we need to work hard for our progress and take it in steps if that’s what it takes to get there. Consensus on any project in a city of this size can be hard to come by, but the more we are able to communicate about our ultimate goal—keeping every street safe—with rhetoric that does not demonize but rather builds understanding, the more likely we will be to earn buy-in for sustainable, meaningful solutions.
Ross C. “Rocky” Anderson: I support the city’s commitment to Vision Zero, but a superficial proclamation, as signed by Mayor Mendenhall, is insufficient. The commitment “should include passage of a local policy laying out goals, timeline, stakeholders, and a commitment to community engagement, transparency, and equitable outcomes.” SLC’s goal should be more ambitious than having no deaths or serious injuries due to traffic violence by 2035. We should move that date forward.
A Surface Transportation Policy Project (STPP) report analyzing data from 1997-98 found that the Salt Lake City/Ogden area was 12th most dangerous nationwide for pedestrians. As mayor, I committed to do everything possible to prevent pedestrian and bicycle/vehicle accidents. Among other things, we implemented the following measures:
— Pedestrian flags, primarily at mid-block crosswalks, to make pedestrians more visible and gain the attention of motorists.
— Several pedestrian-actuated overhead flashing lights at crosswalks where there were no traffic lights.
— Pedestrian-actuated blinking lights in the pavement along crosswalks (since abandoned).
— Updated our ordinances, providing, inter alia, for “protection zones” (a 12-foot- area of auto free protection for pedestrians in a crosswalk and three-foot-area of auto protections for pedestrians at the entrance of each crosswalk), then we engaged in a highly publicized campaign of enforcement, with “decoys” walking in crosswalks and police pulling offenders over and ticketing them.
— Installed countdown timers at crosswalks so pedestrians would know how long they have after the “Walk” sign is off to reach the opposite side of the street.
Our efforts were highly successful. Salt Lake City was ranked by the STPP as the most improved city in the nation for pedestrian safety. I would re-instate measures that have not been continued and expand those that have.
I support changing all neighborhood streets to 20 m.p.h. and––contrary to the current no-enforcement policy of SLC––conspicuously enforce the speed limits. (A City Council member was reported to have stated that the 20 m.p.h. limit is not being enforced, but is, rather, meant to “educate” drivers.)
We should do what is possible to persuade the Legislature to allow “robo-cop” devices to capture an automobile’s speed, take a photo, and issue a ticket.
The city should aggressively engage in evidence-based traffic calming measures, explained in advance to nearby residents and businesses. We must also utilize effective safety measures that take into account our wide streets, our many mid-block crosswalks, and our long blocks––all of which pose unique dangers for pedestrians.
The community ultimately supported our aggressive pedestrian safety measures. To gain acceptance by the community, we should be entirely transparent about our goals and strategies and develop a community and individual ethic around pedestrian and bicycle safety. This should be seen as a team effort, with strong, committed city leadership, which I will provide.
Michael Valentine: Yes, I do. Every traffic related injury and death are avoidable and we must do everything we can to lower, mitigate, and one day make these tragedies obsolete through technology and better design. Our community must always be safe to live and move about freely. With this issue, and so many issues, it’s about how it is presented to the public and what it is for. These issues are popular as most folks across backgrounds want safer cities, roads, neighborhoods, and are against preventable deaths. I am extremely confident that we can unite the city together to achieve these goals.
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Q2: What city plans, state transportation projects or citizen-led proposals are you most excited about to help residents decrease their reliance on a car to thrive in and navigate the city?
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Mendenhall: Continuing to build-out and fund the city’s Transit Master Plan is the single best tool for increasing the convenience and access to alternative transportation. As mayor we’ve added new bus stops and upgraded even more, funded new bus routes, offered 25,000 free UTA passes, and funded the VIA rideshare on the city’s Westside. We secured federal funds to explore the burying of the rails at the Intermodal Hub downtown, to reconnect east and west sides, and are close to finishing the 9-Line, east-west trail connector. We recently completed a major transformation of 300 West, bringing in a protected bike lane. The Downtown Green Loop, our byway projects, continued transit expansion, the Folsom and other trails, coupled with the recent approval of funds to give e-bike rebates to Salt Lakers are some of the exciting work we’ll keep doing to help change the ways we move, for generations to come.
Anderson: I am passionate about reducing or eliminating reliance on the automobile. Easy access to expanded mass transit, with convenient connections, is vital to decreasing or eliminating reliance on cars. A focus on more transit-oriented development, including housing and businesses, is also crucial.
Bicycling should be convenient and safe everywhere. SLC should do what we can to provide segregated bicycle, scooter, and skate lanes that are not simply separated from traffic lanes by a stripe of paint. We should explore installing bicycle lanes on city-owned park strips. We should consider installing sidewalks and bike lanes on different-level lanes. (I implemented lanes similar to that at Liberty Park, providing a separate, elevated lane for bicycles and skaters.)
Walking and biking should be encouraged through a re-commitment to safety measures and compliance with the Complete Streets Ordinance (which the current administration has violated, considering it to be a “reminder” rather than a mandate) which codified the Complete Streets Executive Order I issued in 2007.
Valentine: Citizen-led proposals are the key phrase here! I am the biggest champion of the Rio Grande Plan and am so excited about the doors it opens for our entire state. Christian and Cameron have done an amazing job of dreaming big for the city with the plan. I am the best person to bring it to fruition as I would make sure the dozens of acres it opens up remain affordable for all city residents. I also support bringing back historic trolley lines, rebuilding the Pantages theater into a world-class theater district, rebuilding the original Great Saltair, and Mike Christensen’s plan to Link Utah, and a lot more.
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Q3: In a typical week, how often do you travel by transit, bicycle or exclusively by foot, without the use of a car? Would you commit to riding transit or otherwise going car-free for one week per year?
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Mendenhall: I ride my bike or e-bike several times a week and love the chance it provides to reset my mind between work and home. I’ve lived many a week without the use of a car and highly recommend it!
Anderson: At present, I probably drive my EV almost every day. However, I walk a lot and take transit, especially TRAX, when I go to or return from the airport and events downtown. I haven’t been to a gas station in about 21 years, having driven a natural gas Honda Civic for about 17 years and then two EVs. Driving low- and no-emission cars makes me feel better about driving, but I prefer, and believe we should all try, to avoid dependence on automobiles.
I will commit to going car-free for one week per year, probably by walking, biking, or taking TRAX.
Valentine: Everyday! I am Mr. Downtown and have lived downtown in District 4 for years and years. I walk everywhere. I also love biking, am a huge fan of the 9 th and 9 th bike brigades on Thursdays, and am super excited to invest in an electric bike soon as I hear nothing but amazing things from my friends who have them. I love public transit and used to live in Logan, UT where the CVTD has been free to ride for over 20 years. I would commit to being car-free for sure and my goal is for people to travel anywhere in the valley to anywhere else, point to point, with complete ease.
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Q4: Salt Lake City funds a handful of high-frequency bus routes in partnership with UTA (the 2, 9, 21, etc.). Do you support an expansion of the Frequent Service Network by increasing the amount of city funding paid to UTA for enhanced services?
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Mendenhall: Yes, I do and I am. We’re always working to expand our partnership with UTA, from VIA to the federal Reconnecting Communities grant we won to explore overcoming the rail divide between our East and West sides, to our funding that helped put a free bus pass in the hand of every public school student in our district, to ‘Tech Link,’ the TRAX line we want to build from the U’s Research Park to the Innovation District west of downtown at 500 West and 200 South. The taxpayer and community benefits of investing in public transit are so much greater than the direct transportation impacts, alone.
Anderson: Yes. Convenient, reliable transit is vital if we are to reduce dependency on the automobile and make our city one where residents do not need to own a car (usually the second largest item in a household budget). The Frequent Transit Network should be expanded, with an equitable division of cost between SLC and UTA, as indicated by regular needs-analyses, to cover additional north-south and east-west corridors as well as the current State Street and Redwood Road routes and the current east-west service on 200 South, 900 South, and 2100 South.
Valentine: Absolutely. I also support increasing TRAX, frontrunner, historic trolley lines, and public transportation at every level. My brother lives in San Francisco and I love visiting him to ride the BART, which connects seamlessly with bus and trolley car too. If we want to have a point to point travel system in the SLC Valley, we need to have multiple methods connecting together so we cover all areas to make it easy for people to ride instead of driving. From there we can expand to the rest of the state and to regional beyond.
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Q5: Streets in Salt Lake City that are owned and maintained by the Utah Department of Transportation are some of the most dangerous corridors in the city. What should the city be doing to improve safety on and around state-owned roads? Do you support the city taking ownership any UDOT roads in the city?
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Mendenhall: It’s difficult to articulate just how significant of an improvement we’ve made to the city’s relationship with UDOT during my administration. It’s become significantly more collaborative on safety issues — including actively participating in our Vision Zero meetings — with joint initiatives already underway to make signal-timing procedures safer and add improved bike and pedestrian crossings. The next step is working with UDOT to identify areas where it would be appropriate to slow traffic, which is something UDOT has opposed in the past, but which they are more open to discussing now. I’m open to taking ownership of UDOT roads, but with their willingness to work with us on safety issues and the exorbitant cost of maintaining the major arterials, it’s something that should be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Anderson: The city should negotiate with UDOT to provide safety measures for pedestrians similar to those in the city, including pedestrian-actuated traffic lights. I support the city eventually taking ownership of State Street, which should then be converted into a far more beautiful boulevard, with traffic calming elements, including planters and trees/plants. At some point, Redwood Road should also be considered for ownership by SLC. On both roads, we could dedicate a lane to buses and other high-occupancy vehicles.
Valentine: Yeah, I think the city taking ownership of UDOT roads would be a great option if necessary. It’s really all about a dialogue with UDOT and the UTA on transportation issues, especially when planning for the future like the Rio Grande Plan. Safety is always the number one concern and it’s vital we are looking at all data, talking to the engineering teams, the civil planners, and the community to urban plan the entire city as best as we can.
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Q6: In 2015, Salt Lake City proposed to build a network of safe, low-speed streets called “Neighborhood Byways” by 2025, with additional plans to expand the network by 2035. These would be streets where residents of all ages could feel safe walking or riding a bike, facilitating healthier lifestyles while still accommodating car travel on major corridors. As of 2023, the city is far below the pace it would take to build this network. Should the city make it a priority to complete its entire network of neighborhood byways ahead of schedule, and if so, how would you propose paying for this work?
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Mendenhall: We are actively building out neighborhood byways as called for in the citywide bike and pedestrian plan. We overlay neighborhood byway needs through the work done as part of the city’s new Livable Streets traffic-calming program, as well as street reconstruction projects to ensure efficient and cost effective project delivery.
We currently have four byways projects in process— 800 East (construction funding secured), Jordan Meadows & West Point (construction funding secured), Kensington (construction funding secured), and Sugar House to the University (design funding secured). We just received CIP funding for neighborhood byway design and construction, in addition to State and Wasatch Front Regional Council grant dollars. The pandemic may have slowed down some of the byways work, but I remain committed to seeing the byways through.
Anderson: I would advocate completing all possible Neighborhood Byways as soon as practicable, with an identification of ongoing sources of funding by 2025. I’m not certain about all possible sources of funding, but federal grant money should be explored, as well as funds from the voter-approved Funding Our Future bond. I would also advocate implementing a Neighborhood Byway in connection with road construction (e.g., 800 West from 600 South to 900 South), instead of doing the construction, then later on implementing the Neighborhood Byway improvements.
Valentine: Yes! If I am anything it’s ambitious. My platform and plans for the city are some of the most progressive and forward thinking in the country and I am really thinking about the city in terms of decades from now, not just a few years. The point of master plans is to be completed and followed. You don’t really support a policy if you don’t properly fund it through completion. There are a lot of creative ways it could be funded, but it should have been properly funded from the beginning.
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Q7: Do you support or oppose the abolition of parking minimums?
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Mendenhall: We’ve already eliminated parking requirements in areas where people have transportation choice (e.g., transit, major trails, walkability). We’ve reduced parking minimums across the board in most commercial and mixed use areas of the city through updates to the off-street parking ordinance.
Anderson: I support abolishing parking minimums. If good development can proceed without parking, that is to everyone’s benefit.
Valentine: I would look at the data on this a lot more and hear more ideas. There are a lot of families that can’t always afford to park downtown and deserve to experience all of Salt Lake City, but I also understand the incentives to encourage more people to take public transportation instead of driving. We also must consider disabled folks as well in the conversation.
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