Transportation in SLC today

In 2021, the Salt Lake City Transportation Division launched Connect SLC, an extensive process to update our last Transportation Master Plan from 1996. Connect SLC will result in a Transportation Master Plan (TMP) that outlines high-level transportation policy to be applied city-wide. We recognize that transportation has a direct impact on equity and quality of life, ranging from housing, to economic development, to air quality, and more.

In our first phase of public engagement for Connect SLC, we asked people to tell us about their most important values and priorities for the transportation system. Now we’re sharing some information about existing conditions in the city, organized by the values that people chose most: air quality and the environment, reliability, safety, affordability, and equitable access to opportunity. In each section below, you’ll see maps and statistics related to the values.

We’ve also taken a look at what Salt Lake City and other cities across North America are doing to improve transportation and advance their values. We’ve come up with some policies, programs, and practices that Salt Lake City could adopt as part of this Transportation Master Plan. We’re calling these our “Big Ideas” for the future of transportation in SLC. In each section below, you’ll have the opportunity to read about the Big Ideas, tell us what you think of them, and submit Big Ideas of your own. If there are specific places in Salt Lake City where you see big opportunities to improve transportation, please drop a pin on a map in the final Opportunities Map section.

Walking and bicycling, sometimes referred to as “active transportation,” are the original zero-emissions travel options! We looked at what Salt Lake City and other cities across North America are doing to make active transportation better. A few Big Ideas are described below. Let us know what you think of our ideas and share your own! (the survey portion has been closed)

Build Great Networks for Active Mobility

Salt Lake City’s 2015  Pedestrian & Bicycle Master Plan  envisions new on-street bikeways and trails, identifies priority east-west connections, and recommends spot improvements like enhanced crossings and new curb cuts to supplement the city’s existing bicycle and pedestrian networks.

Prioritize People Walking and Rolling

Seattle and other cities are prioritizing people walking and using mobility devices as they invest in street improvements. The Seattle Pedestrian Master Plan identifies a pedestrian network based on what residents say is most important: access to transit, safe routes to schools, and sidewalks and crossings on busy major streets. Streets in the network are the top priority for improving conditions for people walking and using mobility devices such as wheelchairs.

Grow the City's Tree Canopy

Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall’s  1,000 Trees Initiative  is adding thousands of new trees to the city’s public tree canopy with a focus on Westside neighborhoods, improving environmental quality, enhancing human health, and supporting walkability. The tree canopy can affect people’s travel choices, as streets and pathways with trees and greening are more desirable places to walk, roll, bicycle, and play.

Support Frequent, Connected Transit

The Salt Lake City 2017  Transit Master Plan  identifies a Frequent Transit Network where the City can support fast, reliable bus service through infrastructure improvements like transit lanes and signal improvements. The City is also working with UTA to build Mobility Hubs— places where many travel options come together, with great walking and biking connections to transit service and additional amenities like bikeshare, bike parking, and public space.

Keep Buses out of Traffic Congestion

Salt Lake City is currently reconstructing a key downtown corridor,  200 South , with transit priority strategies top of mind. In Portland, the Rose Lanes initiative is improving transit service where it is most delayed by installing a mix of short-term and long-term fixes. The initiative is focused on bus routes in congested areas. The City employs different street design treatments and operations strategies, including dedicated bus lanes, shared bus/bike zones, bus islands, and traffic signals that give buses priority.

Make the Most of Our Existing Space

Demands for street space are growing, particularly at the curb. Many streets are seeing more activity in the curb lane from ride-hailing services (like Uber and Lyft) and deliveries of packages and meals. At the same time, Cities are dedicating more space for bicycling and public transit. This has led many Cities to rethink how they manage and prioritize curb space.

Washington, D.C., evaluated its curb space usage and needs and tested the following management strategies:

• Designated spaces for ride hailing vehicles to pick up and drop off passengers
• More loading zones for delivery vehicles, including meal delivery
• Parking reforms, such as pricing that is based on demand and new designated ADA accessible on-street parking

Create More Safe Places to Cross the Street

Salt Lake City is actively installing new pedestrian crossings, including at midblock locations, so people have safe places to get across the street. The City designs crossings to provide more protection on wider busy streets, with features like median islands and pedestrian-activated signals.

Portland is working to ensure people don’t have to go far out of their way to find a safe place to cross a busy street. The Portland Pedestrian Master Plan establishes desired marked crossing spacing maximums. In places with lots of pedestrian activity, marked crossings should be about two blocks apart (530 feet in Portland). On major streets, in other parts of the city, marked crossing should be three blocks apart (800 feet) at most. The policy also says that transit stops should have a marked crossing within 100 feet.

Design and Deliver Slow Streets

Oakland, California, is building a network of neighborhood biking and walking routes called Slow Streets. Slow Streets are local streets that are designed to be safe, shared community spaces for all modes. Encouraging more biking and walking can improve individual health outcomes. Elements like speed humps, traffic circles, and traffic diverters improve safety by reducing traffic volumes and speeds. Where a Slow Street crosses a major street, crossing improvements create connections between neighborhoods. Salt Lake City’s planned network of Neighborhood Byways could be designed with these same features.

Adopt a Safe Systems Approach to Prevent Traffic Deaths

Many cities, states, and the U.S. Department of Transportation have embraced the Safe Systems approach to enhance traffic safety on streets and public rights-of-way. Safe Systems is a change from traditional ways of thinking about crashes and safety improvements. It takes a proactive, holistic approach towards creating safe road users, safe roads, safe vehicles, safe speeds, and post-crash care. A key focus of Safe Systems is reducing the risk of fatality and severe injury through a combination of street design, policy, and public education solutions that help reduce vehicle speeds.

Price Options Relative to People’s Incomes

UTA, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall and numerous local governments, partner agencies and private businesses supported a transit “Free Fare February” initiative in 2022. GreenBike offers a discounted annual pass to low-income SLC residents, and UTA recently announced a reduced transit fare card for youth, seniors, people with disabilities, and people with low incomes.

Enhance First/Last Mile Connections to Transit

Public transit is an affordable way to get around SLC, but it is only a good option if people can reach it from their homes, workplaces, and other destinations. “First/Last mile connections” refers to the ways people reach transit stops and stations, and the environment they navigate to do so. The UTA  First/Last Mile Strategies Study  recommends strategies to increase the number of first/last mile transportation options (such as bike share at train or bus stations) and make streets, sidewalks, and bicycle networks near transit stations accessible, inviting, and safe.

Reconnect Neighborhoods

Salt Lake City is planning and building better connections to Westside neighborhoods. The  300 North pedestrian and bicycle bridge  across the railroad tracks is under construction. The  reconstruction of 900 South  includes a new walking and bicycling trail. The  600/700 North Mobility, Safety, and Transit Improvements Study  is creating a plan to transform this critical Westside corridor in ways that promote safety, enable mobility for active modes and transit, and better serve the surrounding neighborhoods.

Invest Proactively in Historically Underserved Communities

In the past, the City of Denver relied on request from residents to identify where to install sidewalk and crossing improvements. With the Denver Moves: Pedestrians and Trails Plan, Denver committed to using data to inform its investment decisions. Criteria for choosing project locations are based on input from the community and designed to increase investment where the need is greatest. Criteria include:

• History of crashes
• Access to transit and bike share
• Access to destinations (schools, parks, grocery stores, and health care)
• The City Equity Index, which includes demographic factors such as income, race, and disability

Create Beautiful Public Spaces Over and Under Highways

Many cities around the world have turned unused, unattractive areas near highways and rail lines into beautiful spaces. These spaces link neighborhoods that were divided by transportation projects of the past and become destinations of their own. For example,  The Bentway  in Toronto is a park, trail, and community space under the Gardiner Expressway that hosts events and activities year round.

We asked about your experiences with transportation in SLC. What's working? What's not? Where would you like to see improvements?

The map below shows input gathered from Salt Lakers in the summer of 2022 on where they have good transportation experiences and where transportation is stressful.