Category Archives: Green Transportation

“Your Utah, Your Future” Survey

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How do you envision the future of Utah?  By 2050, our population will nearly double, and Utah will add an estimated 2.5 million residents. Will we have enough water to drink? Will our air be clean? How will we educate twice as many students? Will our economy remain strong? What kind of future will we leave for our children and grandchildren?

Envision Utah has created a survey called “Your Utah, Your Future” commissioned by Governor Herbert.  The survey gives five scenarios for the future of Utah.  Each scenario includes 11 topics affected by our population growth.  In the survey you select the choices you want to make in each topic area and then choose an overall scenario for Utah in 2050.

The survey will close on May 31, and at over 31,000 recorded responses, it is already the single largest community visioning effort ever undertaken in the US.  The goal is 50,000 participants.  Take the survey!

Please consider sharing it with your employees and coworkers, family and friends, and encourage them to take it, also.

Additionally, over 300 schools have registered across the state.  You can earn money for your local schools- $1 for every response collected!YourUtah

City Seeks Public Input on Parley’s Way Corridor Plan

Salt Lake City’s Planning Division invites residents and users of Parley’s Way to help shape the future of one of the Capital City’s busiest travel corridors.

Parley’s Way has long been identified as an important gateway into Salt Lake City and regular users have expressed their interest in enhancing the safety, efficiency and aesthetics of the corridor for pedestrians, cyclists, drivers and transit riders. The City’s Planning Division is requesting public input to shape the Parley’s Way Corridor Plan.

Participants will have the opportunity to weigh-in on four focus areas:

  • Transportation
  • Neighborhood Connectivity
  • Land Use
  • Streetscape Design

You can participate in the Parley’s Way Corridor Plan survey by visiting www.slcgov.com/opencityhall.

Encouraging Alternative Transportation: e2 Best Practice Series

The April Best Practices session was held at Impact HUB, Salt Lake City’s newly completed headquarters at 150 S. State Street. In one of their beautifully finished lecture rooms, the group enjoyed sandwiches from Even Stevens while hearing presentations from Bike Utah, the Governor’s Office of Energy Development, and Utah Transit Authority.

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Phil Sarnoff, Director of Bike Utah, started off the session with a look at the policy and advocacy work his organization is doing to make Salt Lake City an ever more bikeable community.

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Richard Brockmyer of Utah Transit Authority discussed new projects UTA is currently pursuing, including First Mile/Last Mile. Richard explained that the first and last mile of travel when using public transportation are the most crucial, and so UTA has unveiled a suite of strategies for improving that ridership experience, including facilities for bikes and vanpooling service.

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The lunch session finished off with a group discussion where the attendees could pose their own questions and thoughts with the speakers from Bike Utah, UTA and Governor’s Office of Energy Development. There were many questions for Blake Thomas of O.E.D. about the work being done in his office to support for alternative fuel vehicles in Utah.

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Early registration now open for the 2015 Utah Bike Summit

The seventh annual Utah Bike Summit will be held Friday, April 10, and will gather citizens, riders, bicycle advocates, government officials, tourism and health representatives, and Utah’s bike brands to discuss, plan, and promote efforts to make Utah the most bike-friendly state in the country. The Summit will take place at the Provo Library at Academy Square and is open to the public, regardless of where, how, and why you ride.

This year’s keynote speaker is Gary Fisher, Founding Father of the Mountain Bike. Gary is a dedicated bicycle advocate and responsible for laying the early foundations for mountain biking. He is credited with developing some of the greatest innovations, including drum brakes, triple chainrings, motorcycle-style brake levers and 29 inch wheels. Gary is a longtime bicycle advocate and works to inspire people to get out and ride.

In addition to the keynote address, the Summit program will include presentations addressing topics relevant to people who ride bicycles for both transportation and recreation. The afternoon agenda is packed with breakout sessions looking at topics varying from making bicycling an equitable transportation choice to e-bikes, promoting bicycle safety, and creating a bicycle friendly ecosystem. A post-summit reception closes out the day’s activities at The Underground Social Hall.

More information about the Utah Bike Summit and how to register can be found at www.bikeutah.org/2015summit. Early registration ends February 27th.

Utah Bike Summit 2015

A Blueprint for the Central Wasatch Mountains

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The legacy of the Central Wasatch Mountains, one of Utah’s most valuable resources, could be lost unless action is taken today.

Increasing population and visitation, sprawling development, congestion and a changing climate are putting more and more pressure on these mountains. Mountain Accord was established to make critical decisions designed to address these threats and ensure long-term vitality for generations to come.

After more than a year of researching, collaborating and considering public input,

Mountain Accord has released a proposed Blueprint for the Central Wasatch

that addresses and balances the future of environment, recreation, transportation and economy in the Central Wasatch and proposes specific actions to be made in each area. Now it’s up to you to weigh in on this proposal and help shape the future of the Central Wasatch.

Visit mountainaccord.com between now and March 16 to read the proposed Blueprint and answer a short questionnaire.

Additional opportunities for the public to learn and weigh in are listed below:

Proposed Blueprint Q&A
Wednesday, Feb. 11
6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
Cottonwood High School Auditorium (use north entrance)
5715 South 1300 East Murray, UT 84106

Proposed Blueprint Q&A and Open House*
Tuesday, Feb. 24
Q&A: 6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
Open House: 7:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Black Box Theater, Eccles Center for the Performing Arts
1750 Kearns Blvd., Park City, UT 84090

Proposed Blueprint Open House
Wednesday, Feb. 25
6:00 – 8:30 p.m.
Skyline High School Cafeteria (use main entrance)
3251 East 3760 South Salt Lake City, UT 84109

*Please note that the Park City event has been rescheduled from Feb. 10.

Comments may also be emailed to comment@mountainaccord.com or mailed to:

Mountain Accord
375 West 200 South, Ste. 275
Salt Lake City, UT 84101

Please take the time to share this post with your friends, family and co-workers. The future of the Central Wasatch is in your hands!

Input Needed: SLC’s New Pedestrian & Bicycle Master Plan

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Salt Lake City’s updated Pedestrian & Bicycle Master Plan is now available in draft form for public input!

The draft plan, developed over the past two years with input from thousands of residents and stakeholders, is available for review online at www.slcgov.com/opencityhall and the project website www.walkbikeslc.com. Download your copy. A hard copy is also available at the Transportation Division, please call (801) 535-6630 for details.

The City would like to hear from you to know to how well this plan reflects your vision, goals, and recommendations for the City’s walking and bicycling initiatives over the next 20 years. Are there things you would like us to change? Let us know!

The review period is open until Wednesday, December 17. 

Unique. Local. Artsy. Discover Broadway this Weekend

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Discover Broadway (300 S) and celebrate downtown’s new protected bike lane and local shops!

This unique and artsy street is open to bikes, pedestrians and vehicles. Celebrate with an all ages bike parade, Instagram scavenger hunt and guided bike tours on Saturday, October 18. GREENbikes will be provided free for those without bikes.

From 400 W to 6 E you’ll find sidewalk & alley sales, plus food, dancing & music at participating art & craft galleries, boutiques and restaurants along Broadway (300 South).

Discover Broadway Festivities
Friday, October 17-Saturday, October 18
Check out the full schedule of events.

Help Shape the Future of the Wasatch Mountains!

Photo Credit: Steve_W via Flickr.

Photo Credit: Steve_W via Flickr.

The Mountain Accord is a collaborative public process to make long-term decisions and take action regarding transportation, environment, recreation, and economy in the central Wasatch Mountains (between I-80 and Little Cottonwood Canyon).

Your input is crucial to this important process! Comments are currently begin accepted on MountainAccord.com until November 20. Respond to a short questionnaire about the ideal scenarios for transportation, environment, recreation and economy.

Mountain Accord Public Comment Period Opens!

Hive Pass Pilot Program Moves from Study to Evaluation Phase

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Monday, September 29, 2014

The Hive Pass pilot program, an innovative and experimental transit pass idea–the first of its kind in the country–will conclude the initial phase of study and sales on Tuesday, Sept. 30 and move into an analysis and evaluation period. The Hive Pass allowed Salt Lake City residents to purchase an annual transit pass at a significant discount.

Hive Passes will remain on sale through Tuesday at three locations in Salt Lake City. Visit http://www.ridewithhive.com for details. Residency verification is required.

Mayor Becker originally proposed this unique idea to UTA as part of his Administration’s ongoing work to mitigate air quality issues by addressing the largest contributor to dirty air–vehicle emissions. The program also sought to provide better access specifically for lower income residents by making a monthly payment plan available and by initiating a voucher program to invite broader participation from a variety of organizations. Some 100 passes were distributed to residents in need through the voucher program.

The pilot program was also geared to evaluate if, by making transit more equitable, accessible and convenient, rider habits could be positively impacted. According to the results of a survey administered to residents who purchased Hive passes, significant changes occurred. Survey results show that:

  • Among those who responded to the survey, over 90 percent of Hive Pass users were satisfied with their purchase
  • Among respondents, 44 percent said they now use transit every day and only 23 percent had used transit every day before the Hive Pass
  • A similar increase was seen among residents who went from being infrequent users to regular users
  • Thirty-seven percent said they began using public transportation because of the Hive Pass

A complete copy of the survey results can be found here: http://www.ridewithhive.com/survey.pdf

Per the terms of the agreement between the City and UTA, the two agencies will now enter into an evaluation period in which both entities will work together to process all of the information collected during the pilot, evaluate the pilot and make recommendations about how to apply what’s been learned from the experiment going forward. While regular Hive Passes will not be available during this evaluation, the voucher program will continue.