October 8, 2002News
Specialist John Daley Reporting.
A major change in downtown Salt Lake--when it comes to parking--and
when it comes to biking.
The city's mayor today announced the opening of downtown's
first east/west bike lane, along with "reverse angle
parking."
Salt Lake City News Specialist John Daley explains...
City leaders say as a result of a new parking configuration
on 200 South, cyclists will have a bike lane from the University
of Utah to the Jordan River Parkway, and downtown businesses
will retain their on-street parking.
For years, cyclists have asked Salt Lake City for a bike
lane through downtown. But businesses were worried about losing
parking spaces, and bike riders worried about the dangers
of biking behind cars blindly pulling into traffic from standard
angle parking stalls.
The solution is something other Western cities have done successfully
-- "reverse angle parking."
Drivers are asked to back into angled stalls instead of parking
front first.
City officials say they expect a period of adjustment while
drivers learn to use the new angled stalls.
Businesses along 200 South have received blue information
cards to distribute to customers. The cards explain the new
parking configuration and answer frequently asked questions.
For the first week, parking enforcement officers will hand
out the cards when they write warning citations to drivers
who park incorrectly.
Next week, drivers who park the wrong way in the back-in stalls
will be fined $17.
It will be interesting to see how this works.
