Residents raise safety complaints after micro‑pave resurfacing; county staff, police and council seek immediate spot repairs and an inspection

Residents told the council that a recent micro‑pave pavement-preservation treatment on Emigration Canyon Road left the bicycle shoulders rough and, in some places, unsafe for riders — pushing cyclists into the travel lane and increasing conflict with vehicles.

"We've got a huge issue, and we can choose to address it or not," resident Megan Palazzo said during public comment. "I think someone is going to get hurt." Multiple other residents described instances in which cyclists drifted into cars or an over‑correction produced injury.

Salt Lake County Public Works operations representative Steven Kollmeyer described the material and the agency’s intent: "A micro‑pave ... is a coarser aggregate. We typically recommended the coarser aggregate in collector, rural roads ... they last longer." He said county crews pursue pavement preservation between more expensive mill-and-overlay jobs and that the contract specifications used APWA standards.

Kollmeyer and county inspectors acknowledged they have received complaints and said some high spots and seams would be rechecked; the county plans a broom/sweep pass and said crews would address identified hazards. "We do expect it to smooth through time," Kollmeyer told the meeting, but he also agreed the county would prioritize spot repairs where the surface creates a safety hazard for cyclists.

Council and staff direction

Council members and staff asked MSD and Salt Lake County to take three near-term steps: (1) identify and repair hazardous spots in the bike shoulders; (2) provide council with the contract and specifications used for the micro‑pave work and a written inspection report; and (3) if necessary, commission an independent pavement engineer review to identify remediations for the shoulder areas. Several council members said they want the county inspector and the contractor to return to the council with a plan for spot repairs before winter.

Noise cameras and enforcement

Residents and council members also discussed noise from motorcycle exhaust and large groups causing traffic issues. Council member briefing and a sheriff’s liaison said the municipality can enforce certain municipal ordinances through a civil code process handled by the Municipal Service District (MSD). Council members discussed a noise-camera system that measures sound and captures a license-plate image for automated civil enforcement rather than criminal traffic stops.

Chief Nasr (UPD) commented that police support tools that lead to enforceable violations, and the council asked staff to pursue a civil‑code enforcement pathway that would allow MSD to use camera-captured evidence to issue civil violations. Staff reported the camera systems have been tested in other U.S. jurisdictions and that civil enforcement lowers the burden of proof compared with criminal prosecution.

Special-event permitting link

The road and bicycle-safety discussion linked to the council’s simultaneous review of a new special-event code. Council members and UPD said that organizing large bicycle events without permitting affects traffic control and recommended keeping a higher participant threshold (20 riders) for event permitting so MSD and UPD can allocate resources and require law-enforcement staffing where an event is likely to impede traffic.

What happens next

Council asked county staff and MSD planning to arrange a field inspection including council or resident representatives and to produce a written engineering evaluation of the micro‑pave finish and a list of spot repairs. If spot repairs are inadequate, council directed staff to explore additional treatments for the shoulders, including the option of a finer aggregate or targeted mill-and-overlay in problematic stretches. The council also asked staff to report back in time to change the approach before winter maintenance and to document performance standards for future preservation work.

Resident safety incidents

At the meeting residents said crashes and near‑misses have already occurred; a participant said a roadside over‑correction at a private driveway broke a cyclist’s hip while backing out of a driveway. Residents urged a multilayered approach: additional road-surface work where required, improved event permitting and stronger communication with cycling groups.