Guest Post by Smaatguy
Is it just me or is there considerabley more bicycle traffic in the
canyon latley...It was that you may see a single rider or two here and
there, but this past month every morning on the way to Ogden there are a
quite a few groups of cyclists riding up and down the canyon. This
morning (last Thursday) I counted no less that 30 total and one pack of about 15.
I'm not against cycling on roadways, but given the width of the canyon road I forsee an ugly accident in the not so far future for someone. I think it goes hand in hand with the recent article in the Valley News about people passing on the North Ogden Divide...unfortunately the same thing happens in Ogden Canyon.
As to the cyclists, there are warning signs about it...they are there for a reason. This morning there was a log jam of about 20 cars coming up the canyon because they were in the road as there isn't much of a shoulder and obviously going quite a bit slower than traffic would. I understand that they can use the full roadway, but not all drivers understand or accept that.
My fear is that someone is going to come around one of the many blind corners with traffic also coming from the other direction and cyclists caught in between or the vehicles are going to end up in a head on crash...there is no room for error in most of the canyon. Add to that the increased amount of construction traffic (larger trucks and trailers and such ) for the UDOT project and the increase in residential construction and not to mention boat trailers the outcome is not going to be good....hope that is not the case, but I fear the odds are something undesirable is on the way.
I'm not against cycling on roadways, but given the width of the canyon road I forsee an ugly accident in the not so far future for someone. I think it goes hand in hand with the recent article in the Valley News about people passing on the North Ogden Divide...unfortunately the same thing happens in Ogden Canyon.
As to the cyclists, there are warning signs about it...they are there for a reason. This morning there was a log jam of about 20 cars coming up the canyon because they were in the road as there isn't much of a shoulder and obviously going quite a bit slower than traffic would. I understand that they can use the full roadway, but not all drivers understand or accept that.
My fear is that someone is going to come around one of the many blind corners with traffic also coming from the other direction and cyclists caught in between or the vehicles are going to end up in a head on crash...there is no room for error in most of the canyon. Add to that the increased amount of construction traffic (larger trucks and trailers and such ) for the UDOT project and the increase in residential construction and not to mention boat trailers the outcome is not going to be good....hope that is not the case, but I fear the odds are something undesirable is on the way.
10 comments:
We agree Smaatboy. I followed 5 down Trappers Loop and paced them at 45-50 mph. At those speeds one can expect some major road rash if one were to go down.
There should be no foot traffic or bicycle riding in Ogden Canyon - period.
What is disturbing is the attitude is that they are entitled to use the roads too. Yes, I suppose you are and you are entitled to live a little longer too if you stay off the canyon roads on a bike. The blind curves are a death trap.
You can't ride a bike down I-15...it should be the same for the canyon!!!
Just an accident waiting to happen. Would be nice if UDOT would put a sign at top and bottom warning no passing next six miles too... cost maybe 2k max....
Fyi...its Smaatguy....not smaatboy.... ;)
Thanks for posting!
What happens in our Valley is that many bikers ride side by side on the two lane roads instead of single file, run through stop signs, and ignore the right of way of others. It indicates that they are not thinking clearly.
hehe...on the way in this morning a car was passing someone coming up the canyon by using the "turn" lane and then some in front of the Alaskan Inn....there was a Sheriff truck right behind me...can you say..busted busted busted...he whipped around and got him...nice job WCS!
No lack of idiots today on Pineview...and it wasn't crowded.... apparently some peeps don't have a clue how far 150 is...
Sure is quite in here....anything on pow mow? Wolf creek....county sign meeting? Anything buehler buehler/
This is an interesting topic and one that I think needs to be addressed if Ogden chooses to continue the pursuit of becoming a destination for Outdoor Recreation.
Part of the problem is that there is really only one option for bicyclists that live in Ogden and wish to ride from Ogden to Ogden Valley, short of transporting your bike to the valley on your car. I lived in Salt Lake City prior to Ogden and there are many options for riding up Canyons(ie. Emigration, Millcreek, City Creek, Big and Little Cottonwood) from the city. You are correct that riding up Ogden Canyon is not safe and really not an option for me. Riding up I-84 is equally discouraging. Currently the only safe option is to ride to the valley via the North Ogden Divide which is a difficult undertaking.
An obvious solution would be to put a dedicated walking / bike path similar to the River Parkway up Ogden Canyon. A shuttle up the canyon may be an option as well.
I understand that many feel that bicyclists are a burden to traffic. This is unfortunate because there are many of us that chose to follow the traffic laws, are respectful to drivers, and are disappointed that we get lumped together with the bicyclists that chose to break traffic laws.
Sorry for the long post. It is just a bummer that there aren't any real options or solutions that can make it safe for everyone that wish to travel up to Ogden Valley.
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