As some of you know, I am in Salt Lake City. I thought I would let you know how biking is out here.
When I first arrived and was driving to my friends house I was amazed with the number of bikes on the road. In just one minute I counted 10 bikes, and 4 of them had female riders. This wasn't a rare sight either- there are bikes everywhere, and the riders seem to be very diverse (at least diverse considering the demographics in the city. )
I rented a Felt road bike at a local shop called Spin Cycle, and they were awesome. When I walked into this shop there was 5 or 6 twenty-something guys standing around who were all very friendly (although one was a Browns fan). This was important to me because, for some reason, I rarely feel comfortable in bike shops around Pittsburgh.
Their rent fleet consists of Felt F80's, and for for $30/day, I thought it was a fair rate. With a rental they will also include a helmet, and throw on what ever type of pedals you prefer.
The city is like another world. There is bike lanes everywhere, and where there isn't bike lane the is almost always a very wide shoulder. There is countless "Share the Road" signs, and around some of the bike lanes downtown there are signs that say "Bicycles have the right to take a full lane" (or something to the likes of that).
The "city" is very spread out, and almost every main road is 2-4 lanes wide on each side with speed limits between 35-45. You could compare a lot of them to route 22 in Monroeville (which I would never consider "safe" for cycling), but I have not felt unsafe or threatened at any point riding. There was only a few people who passed me with out much of a buffer.
The city has a light rail system called Trax. Trax offers free rides within a zone downtown, and bicycles are always permitted on board.
I rode Critical Mass out here, and it was nothing compared to Pittsburgh. There was only about 20 people, but there was a guy on a tall bike, a rollerblader, two ten year olds on bmx bikes, and a 40 year old cracked out chain smoker on bmx bike, which made it very interesting.
My general overview of the people:
-There is an abundance of cute college girls riding around the University of Utah campus.
-I have yet to see a recumbent.
-There are a bunch of tall bikes.
-Most of the guys on fixed gears are under 21, and most of the ride brakeless.
-All of the bikers I encountered were very friendly- the scene isn't cliquey at all.
The one thing that really surprised me: I was talking to some people from the Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective, and they were telling me about the number of accidents and fatalities out here. One of them estimated that there has been at least 2 serious cycling accidents/deaths every week for the past 3-4 months.
If you ever get a chance to ride in Salt Lake City, take it. No matter what other people say, I found the Mormans very friendly and polite, they still do freak me out a bit though. Mormons or not, it's a way (that's what they say out here) cool city to ride in.
Only 5 more to go Erok...
There is one thing I forgot to mention. Although most of the city is flat, there are some INSANE hills go toward the University of Utah from downtown. The nice thing is, you can hop on TRAX with your bike and take it up to campus (I pumped up the hills though).
One of them estimated that there has been at least 2 serious cycling accidents/deaths every week for the past 3-4 months
That is nuts! most likely due to the high speeds that you suggested. there are very few places within pitsburgh that you can actually get that fast, and is also a cycling route, forbes (between shady/braddock), birmingham bridge, baum.
Check this out from the City of London who has started to reduce speeds to 20mph:
Research suggests that pedestrians struck at 30 mph have about a 1 in 5 chance of being killed. At 20 mph the chance of a pedestrian dying is 1 in 40. In order to improve safety on the streets where we live, we will amend our guidance on speed limits, recommending that highway authorities, over time, introduce 20 mph zones or limits into streets that are primarily residential in nature and which are not part of any major through route. Similarly, we will encourage local authorities to consider introducing 20 mph limits or zones in town or city streets, such as around schools, shops, markets, playgrounds and other areas where pedestrian and cyclist movements are high.
