Share the Road
Art: Robert Kopecky
In March 2006, Park City resident and cycling community giant Bill Corliss was struck by a vehicle and killed while biking with friends on Highway 68, south of Salt Lake City. Just three months later, Park City cyclist Robin Valline was struck by the vehicle of a distracted motorist at Quinn’s Junction in Summit County, suffering serious multiple injuries. While our community was reeling from these tragic events, a local politician publicly made an insensitive remark about cyclists’ right to be on the roads at all. The timing and tastelessness of his remark, as well as the cycle/motor vehicle impacts, propelled concerned activists and other community members into the forefront of road safety action.
Carol Potter of Mountain Trails Foundation and many other community leaders formed the Alternative Transportation Group (ATG), a dedicated grassroots committee that launched a campaign promoting the placement of 12 “Share the Road” signs on major county roads throughout Summit County.
“We worked on a campaign all summer, passing out 1,000 Share the Road stickers, handing out 500 bike bells with cards depicting bike safety rules, and selling 200 Share the Road T-shirts,” Potter recalls. “Additionally, along with the Park City Chamber/ Bureau, we sponsored a bike to work day called the Commuter Cup Challenge. We invited businesses to sign up for the event. We had about 150 individuals enroll, but several hundred people participated, and many continue to ride their bikes to work whenever they’re able.” The Commuter Cup Challenge has become an annual event.
Potter points to Park City Mayor Dana Williams as the inspirational source for Car Free Fridays. “If you rode your bike to work on a Friday, you could stop at Starbucks or Java Cow and enter your name for a Mountain Trail’s schwag [logoed gift] drawing,” Potter says, adding that Car Free Friday was intended as a once-a-month event, but when “Commander Tom” Terry of KPCW got hold of the idea, he began promoting Car Free Friday weekly on the air. Potter notes that education and advocacy are a significant aspect of ATG’s objectives.
In August 2006, Marianne Cone organized a Share the Road rally at Miner’s Hospital, an educational event that was attended by dozens of children who learned hand signals and cycling rules. On a larger scale, ATG has been working with the Utah Department of Transportation, the Utah Bicycle Coalition and other organizations promoting the construction and maintenance of hard-surfaced trails. “When many neighborhoods were built 25 years ago, sidewalks were not always included in the neighborhood plan,” says Potter. “Today, all across the country, people are demanding sidewalks, pathways, trails and greenways.” Kevin Callahan, Summit County administrator of public works, agrees with this demand, saying “Routinely you should be putting a trail next to every new road.”
The Utah Bicycle Coalition, the cyclist’s voice in state government, has worked directly with politicians and transit authorities to craft and encourage legislation that improves conditions for Utah bicyclists. House Bill 49, for example, calls for motorists to give three feet of clearance when overtaking a cyclist on Utah roadways.
Meanwhile, Park City has committed to doing a walkable/bikeable community study as part of a transportation strategic plan. This plan will result in a capital project list of recommended improvement projects intended to overcome existing safety problems or create new connections for cyclists in the community.
KNOW YOUR BIKING RULES:
(From the Utah Code for traffic laws)
Bicycles have the same rights as other vehicles on the road.
Bicycles have the same responsibilities as other vehicles to obey the rules of the road.
Ride no more than two abreast and then only if you would not impede traffic.
Bicycles traveling at less than the speed of traffic are required to ride to the right hand edge of the roadway, thus not impeding traffic flow.
For detailed information on other popular hiking and bicycling trails in Park City, please pick up a Mountain Trails Foundation map at the Park City Chamber/Bureau or contact Mountain Trails Foundation at 435.649.6839.
Your comments may be edited for brevity and foul language.