There are many different types of goals for cyclists to strive for in the future. Maybe you want to finish a century or fulfill a weekly goal. Maybe you want to start commuting by bicycle more often or hit the road more regularly. Unfortunately, in the pursuit of any goal there are always obstacles that arise, and it is often the small things getting in our way that keep us from moving forward with our goals. For those of you who want to get on the street more, here are two obstacles that can be eliminated in a surprisingly simple way.
Request Bicycle Racks
Getting a bike rack installed at your work or a business location that you frequently visit can be as simple as filling out a one-page request form. Most large cities across the United States, including Salt Lake City, have a pre-formatted form for such requests. For example, Salt Lake City has a simple, one-page form that can be filled out online by any business owner or manager. While this one-step request process does not take much time to fill out, it is conditional upon the the city’s staff time and budget. If your request is up on a waiting list, it may take your city weeks or months before the actual installation occurs. That being said, this is a service that is without charge in most cities and should be taken advantage of to make your city more bicycle-friendly. To visit the Salt Lake City bicycle rack request form, click here. If you live in a different city in Utah, check to see if your local government website offers a similar service.
Request Maintenance on Your Bicycle Route
As if avoiding inattentive and inconsiderate drivers wasn’t enough, potholes and rough patches of road offer further obstacles to dodge. Not only is this unpleasant, but it is also dangerous; as exposed vehicle operators, safety is not an issue that cyclists can ignore. If a damaged road on your route is keeping you indoors, hop on your city website and see what they offer in terms of maintenance. Like bicycle racks, most of the larger cities in America have a quick and simple process for making requests for road maintenance. For example, the Salt Lake City maintenance request form is one page long and can be filled out by anyone who is a resident of the city. To view the Salt Lake City road maintenance request form, click here.
What if My City Doesn’t Have a Request Form?
If your city does not provide such a form, that doesn’t mean that your voice needs to go unexpressed. Installing necessary bicycle racks and road maintenance are usually on the city agenda, but your officials may not know where the best place to begin is. Letting your city officials know about such problems is often not an imposition, and helps the community.
The first step in making a request is to find the member of your city or county council who represents your residence by selecting it from the list available at utah.gov. The next step is to email him or her by: framing your situation, presenting the problem, stating your proposal, and outlining the benefits of your proposal. (For a helpful handout on contacting your government official, click here.) Though this process may seem intimidating, these few steps may be the only obstacle to improving your cycling environment.
We wish you committed cyclists the best in fulfilling your goals and hope that you stay safe on the road by staying alert and avoiding unnecessary risks. If there’s anyway that we can ever help, please feel welcome to call us at (801)506-0800.
Image courtesy of M. O. Stevens on Wikipedia (Bicycle Rack) and Arlington County on Flickr (Pothole)