This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Cars and bikes do not mix well. I live in Emigration Canyon, and I have seen too many times cars running over cyclists. How many of the those accidents could be prevented? Bikers want to exercise, and drivers want to see the scenery, but inevitably too many of both will lead to tragedies.
I have lived in the canyon for seven years now, and I have seen that the increase in population is not properly matched with an improvement of the infrastructure. The small crooked Emigration road used to be more than enough to sustain traffic, but now it is overcrowded and dangerous. The customers of Ruth's Diner keep growing in number, and they use the bike lane as a parking lot. The increasing number of bikers have to compete for reduced space on the road, often dealing with inexperienced drivers.
Time has come for the county to recognize that there is need for an investment to avoid bloodshed. Double the width of Emigration Canyon road to make sure that it can sustain the current future of traffic. Better bike lanes need to be marked all the way up, and the rock wall on the side of the road should be improved to avoid blocking the bike lanes with debris.
Tommaso Pascucci
Salt Lake City