I moved to Salt Lake City because of its assets: it offers incredible outdoor lifestyle opportunities, beauty in close proximity to the city, and excellent local restaurants, pubs and bars. I earn my living as a pedicabber (rickshaw bicycle rider), and in so doing, I am constantly exposed to the elements of nature. The extremely poor air quality in Salt Lake City, especially … [Read more...]
Inversion Alert! Never Trust Air You Can See – Update on Utah’s Red Air
Capitol Hill—Protesters are chanting the same mantra they have chanted for the past several years: “What do we want?” “Clean air!” “When do we want it?” “Now!” On a snow-bombed Saturday in January, a coalition of clean air advocates hosted the 4th Annual Clean Air, No Excuses rally at the State Capitol, where eight hundred protesters braved the cold to make their voices … [Read more...]
Utah’s Red Air Got You Hacking? Babs In The City on What To Do
Cough, cough, hack. Those are the sounds you hear no matter where you go in the Salt Lake Valley during January. People don’t believe me when I tell them we used to have air so dark and black that it was no different than a pea soup fog in London. If you walked outside in the morning in the early 1900’s dressed in a white shirt, you’d come home wearing a gray one. The air pol … [Read more...]
Biking West Valley — The difficulty of cycling the suburbs
West Valley is Utah's second largest city, there is a home building boom. But it's becoming congested and full of cars. Much of the expansion of Wasatch front is occurring in the suburbs in single-family homes, but they are adding bike lanes and bike paths. So how is it to bike to get around? See what I found out. https://youtu.be/V3hWWMQrg7o … [Read more...]
Jordan River Parkway–Wasatch Front Long Distance Trail
In the spirit of the Appalachian Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail and Continental Divide Trail, Utah’s Jordan River Parkway Trail offers recreation and exploration along the Wasatch Front with a perspective and angle vastly different from more well-traveled roads. The trail stretches from Utah County through Salt Lake County and into Davis County. From end to end it is a … [Read more...]
San Francisco Transit Sets Precedence For U.S Cities
It’s a very tired and overused cliche. But since I feel a bit tired and over used here goes," If you build it they will come." And in the case of cyclists—if you accommodate them they will ride. San Francisco is as densely populated as New York City. While Salt Lake City is unlikely to ever have the estimated 17,867 people per square mile like San Fran has, the urban core of Sa … [Read more...]
Sugar House S-Line — A cool bike path with a train to nowhere
On the new Sugar House S-Line, you can play the guitar, read palms and give Bible lessons while riding the trains, but you are not allowed to take photographs on the train or of the trains, according to an S-Line conductor. She said, “Watch out for the UTA police.” The S-Line runs about 15-20 MPH, and while the concept is still a new one for residents, it hasn’t yet met rider … [Read more...]
Welcome Aboard the New Sugar House S-Line
There are lots of surprises in Sugar House this holiday season. UTA is rolling out its first modern streetcar line. The Sugar House Merchants Association has grown into a Chamber of Commerce, and Santa Claus has a grand new house. On December 7, passengers will board the silver S-Line streetcar at seven stops between 200 West in South Salt Lake and McClelland Street in Sugar … [Read more...]