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Important: Provo Council Voting to Move Bike Plan Forward on 3/4/14 Meeting

by Jamie

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Tomorrow (3/4/14) at the Provo City Council’s work session, the council will be discussing whether or not to move the Provo Bicycle Plan forward for consideration during the next council meeting.

The Provo Bicycle Committee has been involved with providing feedback for the plan since meetings began in 2010. Provo has been fortunate to have a plan drafted over so many years by major stakeholders: Provo City Engineering, UDOT, UTA, BYU, MAG, Parks and Rec, the Provo Bicycle Committee, TMAC, the Planning Commission, numerous public meetings, and Alta Planning and Design – one of the top firms in the nation.

As the plan was originally expected to be completed in 2012, many people are now feeling anxious about its future.

Passing the bicycle plan will be a major win for everyone and something that the whole city can celebrate.

We strongly encourage the council to:

  1. Pass the plan and share your support of streets that are friendly to bicyclists and pedestrians.
  2. Designate implementation of phase one as a high priority of the council.
  3. Choose to fund phase one as a council priority.

The plan is a way to be more forward-thinking when it comes to creating streets that are safe for all road users – pedestrians, bicyclists, and drivers. Cities that have implemented similar plans have seen a significant increase in students that choose to attend college without a car. The plan will make our streets safer (particularly important after the recent accidents we’ve been having) and improve our air. Passing the plan will also help Provo’s reputation as a healthy, family-friendly community.

I’m including some articles documenting what has happened with the plan recently in case you’d like to review them.

It has been a long road for complete street supporters in Provo, but we’re hopeful that the council will work together to push the plan forward and ultimately pass it later this month.

 

Recent Bike Plan Articles

Provo’s Bike Plan Would Add Trails, Connect Cities (Herald 7-14-11…just wanted to show when things started)

Provo Planning More, Safer Bike Lanes (Herald 1-27-13)

Proposed Plans for Provo Bike Lanes Near Approval  (Deseret News 2-16-13)

Provo Council Gets Bike Master Plan Draft (Herald 6-6-13)

Bike Lovers Propose to Decrease Accidents, Increase Business (Herald 7-28-13)

Provo Council Set to Adopt Bike Master Plan (Herald 8-19-13)

Bike Lovers Press Provo for “Revolution” (Herald 8-20-13)

FAQs About the Provo Bike Plan (BikeProvo.org 11-16-13)

Save the Provo Bike Plan (ProvoBuzz 11-19-13)

Bike Plan Delayed in Paperwork (Herald 12-1-13)

Cyclists Rally for Provo Bike Plan (Herald 11-20-13)

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Dylan Cindrich #bikewalkprovostories This winter’s erratic weather patterns, snowy single digits lows to sunny mid-sixties highs, ice and puddles, hasn’t discouraged Dylan Cindrich from continuing his daily ride to classes at BYU’s Main Campus. Last year Dylan bought a nice set of Bontrager fenders for his Trek Verve 2 hybrid bike and some waterproof clothing that has made all the difference. No longer does he need to commute in his car on those inclement weather days, and tells me he even sometimes finds the bad weather amusing. Dylan began bike commuting when he first started high school in Portland Oregon. He didn’t want to be seen with his mother dropping him off in front of the new school, and the distance being too great for walking he decided to start biking. “Portland is a pinnacle of bicycle culture,” he interjects, “people like riding their bikes there.” It was “a pretty ride, by a golf course, and bike friendly streets with sharrows.” After graduating in 2017 Dylan entered BYU and moved to Provo, mostly walking to classes, but within a year he received the call and left Provo to begin serving a two year mission in Texas. Dylan’s father knew his son would be covering more than a few miles during his tour of service, so he made a phone call to a local dealer and ensured that a new Trek Verve 2 was waiting and paid for when Dylan arrived. The climate and culture in Texas is somewhat different from that of Portland, PeopleForBikes puts Portland’s overall city ranking in the 92nd percentile and one can expect rain 140 days a year on average in the N/W coastal city, but biking is biking wherever the road takes us, and Dyland was ready to roll. In his new environment he faced much hotter and drier weather with little need for rain gear and fancy fenders, when Dylan returned to Provo two years later it was another story. Today he continues to biking for transportation, using his car only for trips to the grocery store (still he’s considering buying a rear-rack and saddle bags) or for those longer trips, like to see friends in Alpine. And there’s much more to his enthusiasm. (continued in comments)

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  2. Pingback: City Council to Give (Hopefully Final) Vote on Provo Bike Plan | BikeProvo.org

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