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Residents urge caution on lane‑narrowing plan as council agrees to revisit striping during larger project
Summary
Dozens of Emigration Canyon residents urged the city to prioritize resident safety over accommodating recreational cyclists, citing near‑misses, school‑bus risks and property impacts; the council voted to keep current striping and revisit striping decisions as part of a planned $6.1 million road‑safety project.
Dozens of residents told the Emigration Canyon City Council that a proposed change to reduce travel lanes from 11 to 10 feet would make the canyon less safe for drivers, school buses and people evacuating in an emergency.
At the council meeting, Rick Funk, who gave his address as 5655 Emigration Canyon Road, said recreational cyclists frequently ride abreast and cross white lines, creating “a hazard…It’s dangerous,” and asked the council to ensure cyclists “obey the rules and share the road.”
Michelle Henry, a resident at 5696 Emigration Canyon Road, told the council she had misunderstood recent communications and believed the council had already voted to narrow lanes; the presiding official clarified the council had voted only to investigate narrowing. Henry cited the Emigration Canyon general plan (2022) and the 2016 Lochner report, which the plan references as recommending 11‑foot travel lanes, and said narrowing should be justified before moving forward.
Other commenters described incidents in which cyclists ignored school‑bus stop lights, ran red lights near buses and rode in packs. A bus driver’s letter, read by Kim Evison, said drivers had seen cyclists pass within inches of children boarding or exiting the bus and urged additional pavement markings and signage to protect students.
City staff said the lane‑width change is not off the table but that UDOT has been asked to manage a consultant selection process tied to a larger safety grant. Cameron, a city staffer who presented project updates, said UDOT will issue an RFQ for consultants and that the traffic engineer’s initial recommendation was against immediate narrowing from 11 to 10 feet.
Council member motioned to retain the current striping and to revisit striping during the larger construction project; the motion was seconded and passed by voice vote. The council asked staff to include potential restriping in the scope and public‑involvement process for the $6.1 million safety project.
What happens next: staff will continue easement outreach and public involvement once UDOT’s consultant selection and the grant‑funded design work begin. The council agreed to collect comparative accident statistics and to evaluate test sections and maintenance needs before making permanent striping changes.
