New Bill Would Undermine Salt Lake City’s Street Planning Authority
Utah legislators are considering a bill that would subject Salt Lake City street design to stricter oversight from the state, and in some cases prevent the city from adopting traffic calming measures. This could greatly impact the city’s ability to improve active transit infrastructure, including bike lanes and bus lanes.
Last Year's SB 195
Last year, the legislature passed SB 195 Transportation Amendments which placed a moratorium on new Salt Lake City (SLC) projects with potential to decrease the number of cars on the road. It also directed SLC and the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) to study the impacts of these “highway reduction strategies” on city projects, past, present, and future. UDOT’s presentation to the legislature showed that, of the 11 applicable projects presented, 6 had measurable positive impacts on active transportation, while only 3 negatively impacted vehicular mobility. The analysis ultimately concluded that the city’s street design changes had minimal impacts on traffic flow.
Learn more about UDOT’s SB 195 study from our friends at Sweet Streets.
What SB 242 Does
SB 242 Transportation Amendments is the legislature’s annual transportation omnibus bill, meaning it makes a number of changes to Utah’s transportation code. Among those changes is the creation of Chapter 20 “Local Highway Mobility Plans” which would:
- Require SLC to work with UDOT to designate each road within the city as a Tier 1-Tier 4 road (Tier 1 roads being defined as “regionally significant highways”). 800 S is an example of a Tier 1 road.
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Prevent “highway reduction strategies”, defined as strategies that have the potential to decrease the number of vehicles or availability of on-street parking, on Tier 1 roads unless it’s a safety improvement primarily intended to enhance the safety of all roadway users and does not materially reduce travel capacity or the number of motorized vehicle travel lanes, and unless SLC completes thorough data collection, impact analysis, community and business engagement, and receives approval from UDOT
SB 242 also requires SLC to create a plan to mitigate previously implemented “highway reduction strategies” and traffic calming measures, including, but not limited to, projects on 300 W, 200 S, and 400 S. It’s not clear whether mitigation could require something as drastic as removing newly constructed protected bike lanes on 300 W, or bus lanes on 200 S that are part of the Davis-Salt Lake City Community Connector Bus Rapid Transit system.
The Implications
HEAL is concerned that SB 242 introduces unnecessary and burdensome oversight to an already robust Salt Lake City street planning process, and ultimately threatens to undermine the city’s authority to make its own streets safer. Furthermore, the underlying tone of this bill prioritizes vehicle capacity over pedestrian safety despite the fact that UDOT’s own study shows that these active transit projects have minimal impacts on traffic flow.
Complete Our Action Alert!
Complete this action alert to email your senator and representative. Tell them that you value Salt Lake City’s ability to plan traffic calming measures, and that SB 242 threatens communities by prioritizing vehicle capacity over pedestrian and cyclist safety.
As you fill out this action alert, be sure to add your own stories and highlight why pedestrian-friendly streets are important to you!
- Spread the Word: Share this alert with friends, family, and your network. The more people are aware of these threats, the stronger our collective voice.
- Stay Informed: Follow HEAL Utah for updates and further actions you can take to protect our environment and community.
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