SALT LAKE CITY – Beginning Thursday, April 23, Salt Lake City will start to temporarily open some city streets to pedestrian and bicycle traffic in order to allow space to recreate while also remaining at a safe distance from people. The first street to “open” will be 500 North from approximately Redwood Road to 800 West. Additional streets are being evaluated and will be announced in the coming week.

“We’re excited to be able to give people some extra room to be able to get out and recreate at a safe distance from others,” Mayor Erin Mendenhall said. “As it’s getting warmer, we all want to get outside. We want everyone to feel like they have the space to exercise and recreate at a safe distance from one another, and this is an innovative and easy way to do it when our main parks are so full.”

This opening of streets follows a weeklong survey in which the city asked residents for feedback on which streets they would like to see used for recreation. The survey received 6,000 responses, which provided valuable feedback on implementation.

“These are challenging times and we are aware of the strain that the current situation is placing on people’s physical and mental health. Opening up more space to walk and bike is one way we are trying to help people stay healthy and safe,” Salt Lake City Transportation Division Director Jon Larsen said. “Similar initiatives to this have been successfully implemented in cities throughout the world, and we’re excited to make this happen in Salt Lake City.”

Factors that helped determine which streets to open included survey responses, geographic equity, connections to parks and trails, hospital/emergency routes, transit routes and traffic patterns.

Vehicle access on streets will be maintained for local traffic. Drivers are asked to drive slowly and with extra caution.

Updates on Stay Safe Stay Active streets can be found available here: https://www.slc.gov/transportation/2020/04/13/stay-safe-stay-active-streets-response-to-covid-19/

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