SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — A downtown Salt Lake City florist is starting a petition to remove a two-way bike route outside her business, saying backing out of her driveway has become a daily safety concern.
Marci Rasmussen, owner of Especially For You at 221 W. 400 South, said she had a close call with a cyclist while backing out early Friday morning.
“He was screaming at me,” Rasmussen said. “I said, ‘You need to be careful too.’”
Rasmussen said the layout forces drivers leaving her angled parking area to not only back out, but watch for pedestrians on the sidewalk, people biking or riding scooters in both directions and traffic on 400 South.
The bike route is part of the 400 South Viaduct Trail, a joint Salt Lake City and Utah Department of Transportation project built along the south side of 400 South from 900 West to 200 West. The city said the protected route is intended to give people walking, biking and rolling a safer connection between the west side and downtown while preserving vehicle capacity on the corridor.
The project includes a wide concrete path separated from traffic in places by a physical barrier, along with new striping, sidewalk and pedestrian-ramp improvements and minor median changes. The city announced the trail was substantially complete in June.
Rasmussen said the two-way configuration adds an unexpected conflict for a driver who is already trying to safely enter a busy roadway.
“It’s not normal for a person when they’re coming out of a driveway and they’re on a divided road, they look one way for traffic,” Rasmussen said. “ It’s not normal for them to look the other way to see that it’s a two-lane bike lane.”
Rasmussen said she is taking her petition to nearby businesses and wants the city to remove the route. She also said the project’s removal of customer parking has hurt access to her shop and that her revenue is down about 22%. Salt Lake City said it cannot validate the revenue claim.
Cyclist Jessica Kaing said she supports bike lanes but believes locations near freeway access and heavier traffic can be more difficult for both cyclists and drivers.
“I do think that there are areas where it works,” Kaing said. “But you’re talking about bike lanes between 5th and 6th South. You’re getting on freeways. This is such a busier area, so I think it’s really tricky.”
Kaing said cyclists deserve safe ways to get downtown, but added, “There has to be a way to figure that out.”
In a written response to FOX 13 News, Salt Lake City said Rasmussen raised concerns during the project’s design and construction. The city said it modified the driveway and the property owner’s fencing “to improve sight distance” and made changes to time restrictions on an adjacent side street to help accommodate customers.
City officials said they do not have a specific count of parking or loading spaces removed on that block.
The city also said similar driveway conflicts exist elsewhere, including at other locations with protected cycle tracks, and that all road users need to follow traffic laws and watch for conflicts with others on the road.
Salt Lake City said it is not aware of any unusual crash, near-miss or safety complaints at this location beyond the concerns Rasmussen shared with the city. Officials said they could conduct a more detailed review of reports early this week.
The city said it continuously monitors its facilities but has no additional changes planned at the location beyond the driveway and fencing modifications already made.
Rasmussen said those changes have not resolved what she sees every time she tries to leave her business.
“The safety is scary,” she said. “If I killed somebody, I don’t, would never get over it. I would have to close my business for sure.” Rasmussen said.