DIRT PaVEMEnT aDVoCaCY RaCIng ToURIng ... - Cycling Utah

22 cycling utah.com MAY 2007commuter of the MonthBicycling Bridges Religious and Political DividesBy Lou MeliniThis month’s commuter columnwill feature three cyclists, DaveRaymond, Rob Halter, and TodHarris, who live approximate ¼ mileapart in the northeast corner of theCanyon Rim. (Canyon Rim, a partof unincorporated Salt Lake County,is north of 3300 South, and east of I-215 until it meets the Salt Lake Cityborder). There are three other bikecommuters, including the writer ofthis column and his wife, and previouslyprofiled Ryan Evans whoalso live within this small corner ofCanyon Rim. The destinations of theprofiled riders range from ResearchPark, the LDS Church office buildingto a high-end woodworking shopin South Salt Lake with mileagefrom 12-15 miles day on their commute.Cycling Utah: So why do you guysride to work? Were you aware ofthe number of riders in our smallworld of Canyon Rim?Rob H: Not enough self-disciplineto exercise without a reason. Ridingto work invigorates me. I am moreready to tackle the day at work. Italso helps me rationalize buyingcool bike stuff. I have noticed a lotof cyclists in our area, but not recognizingthem as commuters.Tod H: The riding keeps me in goodshape, I save a ton of money on gasand car maintenance, and I can thinkabout issues and how to work themout. I wasn’t aware of the number ofcommuters in our area. I sometimesride with 6 or 7 of my teammates(Midoule/Barbacoa) from this areaon my way to work. Some of themcommute with me now and then.Dave R: I enjoy the fact that insteadof sitting in a car for 30 minutes, Ispend my time not only getting towhere I need to but also maintainingmy fitness. From a traffic congestionpoint of view, I am part of the solution,instead of part of the problem.C.U.: We are a pretty diverse group.I know we have different religiousand political affiliations. If everyonebiked, would this common bondhelp bring people together to solveother issues in the community? Bemore tolerant of each other? Stopstereotyped labeling based on religionor political affiliation?R.H: I think I’m pretty tolerant.Any common bond will help bringpeople together, though it doesn’tmean we will have the same viewpointon other issues. The commonbond will help people approach theissues with respect for the opposition,in other words be more tolerantother opinions.Tod H: I think riding brings cycliststogether. However I can connectwith my neighbors who do not ridebecause we have a different commonbond, so they don’t thinkI’m the “odd guy who rides a bike”anymore. With enough bonds, wecan eliminate labels like apples andoranges and consider them simplyfruit. I do think I am a little moretolerant of someone with whom Ishare a common bond. I ride with arather diverse group. Our joy of ridingtranscends our diversity.Dave R: Humans seem to alwaysfind a way to subdivide and categorize.We even do it within ourcycling community with labels of“roadie”, “commuter”, and “fat-tirefolks”. We should think about greetingeach other on our bikes ratherthan looking at what type of bike weare riding or what clothing we arewearing. Cycling has the potential totranscend politics, race, gender, andreligion, even socio-economics.C.U.: What would it take for theleaders of the various religions inUtah to actively promote a reductionof car use by asking people to bikeor walk to work?R.H: There would have to be astrong local effect, for example,Parley'sPathway ProjectUpdateIn October, the Parley’sPathway Project, the folksbehind the Parley’s CanyonBike Trail, submitted an applicationfor Federal TransportationEnhancement (TE) funding tohelp with a feasibility study onthe project. The project willestablish a bike route throughUpper Parley’s Canyon fromMountain Dell to the Summit,thus providing Interstate-freebicycle access between Salt Lakeand Park City. The applicationwas rejected, or more accuratelythe project was not selected forfunding. The reason given wasthat the selection committee feltthat the counties of Summit andSalt Lake should cooperate indeveloping the feasibility studyand when that is completed reapplyfor federal TE funding.That cooperation has begun.Recently representatives of thetwo counties met to initiate anInterlocal agreement, a legalcompact defining the financialcontributions of both counties infunding a feasibility study for theproject. Upon completion of theinterlocal agreement the projectwill go out to bid. The planningagency that wins the bid willdevelop a master plan for theproject. When that is complete,the Parley’s Pathway Project willre-apply for TE funding.That is the state of the Parley’sbike route so far. It’s on track andthe future looks bright. If youare interested in contributing orgetting involved contact GordonStam at gstam@xmission.com or(435) 901-3965.air pollution with noticeable localhealth effects. Global warming iscurrently too politicized to raise anyawareness at present by religiousleaders.Tod H: There have been somerecent discussions within variousreligious communities that the takingcare of the planet is also a wayto show respect and reverence forthe Creator. I have not heard anyone religion articulate that locally.I would rather not see pollution getsubstantially worse for religiousleaders to take a stand. Howeverrather than waiting for our leaders totake a stand, our little community ofbike commuters should continue toset an example by riding our bikesand encouraging others to do thesame. At one time, it seemed thatmy bike was the only one at theLDS Church Office Building. A fewyears ago a second bike rack wasinstalled and now both racks are fullmost days. I take that as a positivesign.C.U: Can our political parties cometogether and improve transportationfor cyclists?Tod H: I sincerely hope so. Gettingpeople out of their cars and ontobikes is beneficial in so many waysthat we ought to do all we can tomake it easier and more rewardingfor anyone will to give it a try.C.U: Thank you all for participatingin this column. In my attempt to createa non-controversial but interestingtopic within the narrow confinesof bike commuting, I learned a lot.If you have a suggestion for acommuter profile, please send anemail to lou@cyclingutah.com.Weber Pathways Receives Largest Donation inOrganization’s HistoryWeber Pathways recently received the largest single donation in itstwelve year history. The Biker’s Edge in Kaysville donated a commerciallot which Weber Pathways sold for $327,000. At the donor’s request,Weber Pathways will use the proceeds for trail-and trail-related projectsthroughout the County. These will include development of a trail corridoralong the Weber River, continuation of the Bonneville Shoreline Trail inWeber County, construction of trails in Ogden Valley, and development oftrail-related programs.Mary Hall, the Chair of Weber Pathways, reflected the excitement ofthe non-profit’s Board, when she said, “Weber Pathways survives andthrives from the generous donations of its many supporters. We are especiallygrateful to the Biker’s Edge for their generosity and commitment.Such a significant gift will go a long way towards continued developmentof trail systems in Weber County.”Zach Chatelain of the Biker’s Edge said, “We are extremely excited tobe able to make such a great positive contribution to the trails in WeberCounty. We all love to ride and are thrilled at the prospects of new andbetter trails in the area. I know that these trails will be enjoyed by boththose who live in the area and those to come to visit for years to comeand would also like to thank Weber Pathways for everything they havedone to make this happen.”