Sweet Streets asks Salt Lake City for important changes to 300 West redesign
Salt Lake City is preparing to break ground on a transformation of 300 West from 900 South to the city’s boundary at 2100 South. The proposed design will make the street more inclusive for people walking, people biking, people with disabilities and people driving.
For the first time in history, 300 West will include continuous sidewalks, an important addition given the city’s choice to place a homeless resource center just off this street and the addition of thousands of people living along this corridor in recent years. It will also become accessible to people traveling by bike via a two-way cycle track on the west side of the street, another first.
With the addition of trees that will provide much-needed shade and other benefits, and the first-ever inclusion of space for people, 300 West appears to achieve the city’s stated goals for climate and social equity.
We at Sweet Streets appreciate the city’s multi-modal design. It is an impressive transition from the status quo on 300 West.
Yet we want the city to envision a future where people who live or do business on and near 300 West to choose to walk, bike, scooter or roll in some form of active transportation to do their daily business.
Source: NPR
The city has a chance to build a street where it’s safe and comfortable to travel outside of a car. To do that on 300 West, we suggest these changes.
Widen the sidewalks
The city is planning to build sidewalks that are 6 feet wide. This doesn’t account for how people actually walk, which is frequently side-by-side. If the goal is walkability, then not only the safety, but the comfort of pedestrians must be foregrounded. Friends and families walk side-by-side.
Given that much new residential housing is being added on 300 West, and the likelihood that its current industrial land uses will continue to transition to retail and residential, six feet is inadequate. 6 feet is the minimum width for a city sidewalk, according to the National Association of City Transportation Officials.
We encourage the city to look at the space allocated to vehicle lanes and other treatments being added as part of this reconstruction to find space for wider sidewalks.
Improve pedestrian safety and comfort at intersections
The city is aware that many people cross the street at 300 West near Walmart around 1350 South. Its response is to add an uncrossable median to prevent crossings and funnel people to the intersection at 1300 South. This is the wrong approach.
Rather than ignore the clear desire lines that exist in this area and others, the city should address them with improvements that make people feel safe while crossing at intersections. We don’t see that in the designs.
Add additional crossings
The city is adding a net of one crossing on 300 West from what exists today. While two mid-block crossings will be added, one existing crossing will be removed at 1400 South.
Developers have made it clear they will continue to build housing in this area, including a dense development at Brooklyn Avenue and 300 West. The city should build for the future and anticipate the crossings that people will want to make as this corridor continues to increase in density in the near future and beyond.
All these design choices could help create a street that encourages people to walk and bike in an area that is already seeing the construction of numerous apartments. These choices lay the groundwork for less car congestion and higher quality of life in our city.
We encourage the public to join the city’s Facebook Live event on Wednesday, Feb. 3, at 11 a.m. to share feedback, or email them to 300west@slcgov.com.
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ABOUT SWEET STREETS: Founded in 2020, Sweet Streets is a nonprofit that educates and advocates for people-first planning, budgeting, implementation and operation of our streets and public spaces in Salt Lake City.
