Safety or Convenience?
Let’s ask the State Legislature.
What is more important, safety or convenience?
When it comes to safer streets, the Utah Senate Transportation Committee gives a resounding answer within SB 242: “Convenience.”
Read below how SB 242 targets Salt Lake City for creating “highway reduction strategies” that must be “mitigated”.
After four impressive years making small, medium and large roadways safer for all users, the thanks SLC is getting is proposed SB 242 mandating the following. (Let me insert a thanks and shout out to the Sweet Streets organization for providing me a cut and paste source to get this information right over to you.)
“Targets “highway reduction strategies,” which is anything that UDOT deems as having the potential to permanently decrease the vehicle capacity. As written, it doesn’t matter if the road capacity is even being met. Strategies specifically called out include: lane reductions, lane narrowing, and anything that can “impede” traffic flow (this is a catch all)
Formalizes the road tier system mentioned in the UDOT study, identifying the streets where high-speed traffic is more important than safety. Tier 1 restricts most traffic calming and requires study and UDOT approval if allowed, tier 2 includes study by the city and approval by UDOT, tier 3 requires documentation, and tier 4 are residential streets that are left to Salt Lake City, though the crossings at higher tiered streets will likely still impact safety on these streets
New this year
Expands the geographical scope to include the west side to Redwood Road (previously was i-15), and to the southern city boundary (previously was 2100 South)
Requires “mitigation” (whatever that means) of the impacts of traffic calming on recently constructed streets, specifically including but not limited to: 300 West (the bikeway area), 400 South (the trail area), and 200 South in downtown
Includes anything that has the “potential” to impact or reduce on-street parking, specifically requires engagement and UDOT approval anytime 3 or more parking spaces on a block face are planned to be removed
Requires a minimum of 11 foot travel lanes on Tier 1 and 2 streets, and a minimum of 10 foot travel lanes on Tier 3 streets. This reduces space for other uses (including parking) and may encourage speeding, see Cycling Utah for more)
Salt Lake City must enter an agreement with UDOT to establish the tiered “critical capacity routes map.”
The City-UDOT agreement must be in place before the end of the year and the City must work with UDOT to report back to the Transportation Interim Committee annually”
WHY DOES THIS MATTER to Cottonwood Heights?
SB 242 is setting precedent. Could these stringencies and extra expenditure burdens on SLC’s money and staff time be applied to other medium and large cities throughout Utah? Namely, Cottonwood Heights.
In a time when we are watching retribution against “uncooperative” municipalities, agencies and individuals play out nationally, we must be ever-vigilant to protect rule of law, justice and fairness in our own backyard.
Always interested in your thoughts and feedback.
In community,
Ellen Birrell