SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) – ABC 4 continues to take action to slow down drivers who speed. You may remember several weeks ago when we zapped speeders for a Salt Lake man who claims no one else would help. Now the Speed Zapper is taking his concerns to city leaders, and they're making plans for some big changes.
"I called the police, they tell me it's a UDOT problem, I called UDOT they tell me it's a city problem," said John Flint, Salt Lake City resident.
That's what John Flint told us several weeks ago that's it's been like trying to stop speeders on his street on 600 East in Salt Lake City.
"I'm really really late,” said a speeder to reporter Brian Carlson.
“Ya, I saw that. You're going 35 miles an hour in a 25,” replied Carlson.
We zapped the drivers, but decided something else needed to be done. So we took Flint's concerns to Salt Lake City Transportation Director Tim Harpst, and he tells us big plans are in the works. Harpst said the city wants to turn 600 East into a bicycle boulevard.
“This jumped out as the primary one we'd like to start with,” said Harpst.
He said Salt Lake plans to be more bicycle friendly, and that naturally slows down speeders.
“If we are successful in creating a bicycle boulevard, that could be a wonderful by-product for the neighborhood,” he said.
Harpst said Salt Lake will pattern 600 East after bike friendly roads in Portland, Oregon that all include special signs, road paving and traffic signals that give bicyclers the edge over drivers on the road.
“Generally what we're hearing from cities like Portland, is when you build these bicycle boulevards or add bicycle facilities to a street it actually increases the value of properties because it becomes a more desirable area to live,” said Harpst.
If the city gets the funding, 600 East could be a more desirable place as early as next summer.
