April 2008 Issue - Cycling Utah

APRIL 2008 cycling utah.com 3AdvocacySt. George Works on Stepping Up Cycling OptionsBy Ryan DionneWhen the weather is blustery orsloppy in northern Utah, the oppositeend of the state is prime forcycling.And when the weather is primefor cycling in southern Utah, it’susually … well … all year long.It’s true. The days of bad-weatherriding in the desert area aroundSt. George are few and far between.Sure it gets scorching hot in thesummer, and the area seems to becrawling with people who driveslower than you can ride, but whatbetter place to train with consistentconditions.The riders in or around Utah’sDixie have likely noticed a changein the ridership over the last fiveyears.There seem to be more cyclistsand the city of St. George is workingto keep up with its biker population.Whether it’s locals, tourists orriders from throughout the statemaking the trek south, bicyclistsexpect more.“We can’t get by with what theaverage town has for on-street facilities,”said Ryan Gurr, and avid St.George cyclist and co-owner of RedRock Bicycle.Luckily, the city is listening – tosome extent.With a master plan intact, cityofficials are creating more bikelanes, bike routes and bike pathsthroughout the southern Utah city.“This year alone I’ve put inprobably 15 miles of bicycle lanesand routes combined,” said St.George Engineering AssociateMonty Thurber.And with the price of gas climbinglike Lance Armstrong alongwith talks of harder financial timesto come, more family-style riderswill likely pull out the old SchwinnRacer and pedal to work.That, combined with us avidcyclists already on the road, createsan even greater need for the city tostep up.“There was a bit of a struggle fora while with the amount of growthwe had,” Gurr said.Hence the city’s goal: To createalternative means of transportationsuited for commuters and recreationalriders alike.But it’s not easy.Thurber said St. George created abicycle master plan around 2002 andhe’s tried to advance it since he’sbeen employed with the city.“We do the best we can,” he said.“I think we’re doing a good job nowcompared to four or five years ago.”One setback, though, is the sameproblem associated with many othercommunity goals: Money.However Gurr thinks the city hastoo much of a “small city mentality”in regards to not having moneyto make general improvements.Thurber disagrees.“Trails are quite expensive tobuild, and with the funding youhave, you try to do the best youcan,” the engineer said. “Last yearI spent $10,000 on signs and stencils.”This year, the city is puttingtogether a route map which willlikely be available in early summer.But besides money, the city hasother hurdles.Thurber said some of the wellusedSt. George roads aren’t maintainedand owned by the city.He said the main corridors thatleave Dixie – Bluff Street, stateRoute 18, St. George Boulevard andSunset Boulevard – are state roads.“So there’s some limits that wehave when we do a road project,”he said.Because of that, the city has createdsome alternative routes – whichThurber admits isn’t an ideal route– to help move cyclists.One alternative route istwo blocks south of St. GeorgeBoulevard and runs parallel to it.“Trying to create alternatives canbe tricky,” Thurber said.But in all reality, who maintainsthe road, how much lanes costs andhow tricky they are to create doesn’tmatter to riders as long as there’s abike lane or path to utilize.“What they could really do betteris go back and retrofit or redo existingroads,” Gurr said.Thurber said the city’s trying todo just that.Most old roads, though, don’thave a wide enough shoulder toaccommodate a bike lane – which istypically four-feet wide.“That’s been our big problem,”he said.To fix the dilemma, the city hastwo options: Decrease the size ofeither the travel lane or the median.Tonaquint Drive as well as 1450South are two recent examples ofthat.Besides trying to retrofit oldroads, Thurber said the city hasplans for new improvements as well.Lanes or routes on BloomingtonHills Drive are towards the top ofthe list – the two-year-plan – whileRed Hills Parkway Dixie Drive andothers are on the five- to ten-yearplan.“We’re gettin’ there,” the cityengineer said. “It’s gotta start somewhere.”And Gurr, as well as many othercyclists throughout the state, know ithas to start with advocacy.“Visibility and power in numbers;It definitely helps out,” hesaid.It’s nearly impossible to drivearound St. George without seeingriders, and Gurr thinks it’s thosepeople who can help push the cityforward creating new places tosafely ride.Until everyone went their separateway, Gurr said the city had astrong advocacy group in the city.“That is my one wish,” Gurrsaid. “That there was much more ofa community advocacy group in thisarea.”With cycling questions about theSt. George area contact Ryan Gurr,co-owner of Red Rock Bicycle, at435-674-3185. For more city-specificquestions, e-mail Monty Thurber at trafficinfo@sgcity.org.Nevada Hike, Bikeand Walk ConferenceThe seventh Annual NevadaHike, Bike and Walk Conferencewill be held on May 15-18 atStateline, Lake Tahoe. This year'stheme is: Economic Benefitsof Bicycling and Walking inCommunities. The conference isbeing held in conjunction withthe Nevada Trail Builder andCrew Leader Training. Last year'sconference was a tremendous success.Visit www.bicyclenevada.com/Conf_08_home.htm to learnmore.-League of American BicyclistsThe love of cycling begins early.UTA Rideshare’s 2008 Bike BonanzaFriday, May 16th | Gallivan Center, 4:00-8:00 p.m.Young, old, beginner or hardcore, you’ll find plenty to celebrateduring National Bike Month and Cycle Salt Lake Week.Other Bike Week events include:Live Green FestivalDowntown CriteriumMayors’ Bike to Work DayHistoric Tour of Salt Lake CityIntermediate Mountain Bike Tour5th Annual Pedal Pusher Film FestivalRide of SilenceDMV CriteriumCycle Salt Lake CenturyRoad Home Bike TuningBike to Work WednesdaysRocky Mountain Raceway CriteriumFor times and locations, visit utarideshare.com or cyclesaltlakecentury.comCycle Salt Lake Week is May 10 to May 17