John Pucher
6 July, 2008
John Pucher
John Pucher is a professor of urban planning and policy in the Edward J Bloustein School at Rutgers University in New Jersey. Mr. Pucher has done a great deal of research into what makes a community safer for cyclists and pedestrians, and at the same time more people friendly. He has become one of my heros in the planning world as of late. He recently gave a great talk to residents and students at the City Program at Simon Frasier University in British Columbia. The companion powerpoint presentation can be found on his Rutgers website. The film of the presentation takes just over an hour, but it is well worth your time.
UTA FrontRunner Serving More Cyclists than Expected
6 July, 2008
If you have driven on I-15 north of Salt Lake City may have noticed the new FrontRunner trains. The commuter trains were installed to help ease rush hour traffic in Davis County. Ogden’s Standard Examiner ran this editorial on Thursday.
Before commuter rail opened for business, the Utah Transit Authority simply did not foresee more than a couple of cyclists boarding each of the trains’ three passenger cars during peak commute hours. The transit agency’s estimates were off. Way off. The numbers vary, but it’s typical to see more than two bikes per train car…UTA says [it sees] between 30 and 60 bikes per day.
While not directly related to Orem or Provo, this has the potential to affect those of us living in Utah Valley in the near future. UTA’s FrontRunner South project, currently in the planning phase, could be started as early as next year. Mixed commuting is an appealing option for many of us, especially if our jobs require travel into Salt Lake Valley.
If enough interest and awareness are generated before FrontRunner South is implemented, we can avoid some of the problems now experienced in Davis County. The FrontRunner South website has an Event Calendar that is empty at the time of writing, but any future events should provide an opportunity for us to speak out and make sure adequate accommodations are made for cyclists interested in mixed commuting.
