I recently moved my business from Sugar House to downtown Salt Lake City. Since my family and I live on the Avenues and are close to my new business location, my two sons and I choose to ride our bikes to work instead of trying to find parking downtown, cutting down on pollution and also saving on rising fuel costs.
We are very safe and careful bike riders; we always wear helmets and ride in the bike lane, when there is one. Once we reach downtown, we have to ride on the sidewalk for about two blocks. A couple of weeks ago, we were stopped on State and were approached by two policemen (also riding bikes on the sidewalk). We were told that we must ride in the street or risk receiving a ticket.
What I would like to know is why it is OK for the police to ride their bikes on the sidewalk and we have to risk our lives in downtown traffic? I would also like to add that I have observed some very unsavory and illegal activity out in front of my business, and the only law enforcement that I ever see is parking enforcement.
Also, the one time that I did call the police about a drunk bothering my customers, the police showed up 35 minutes later and then let the drunk go with a ticket, and he got to keep his bottle, too! This man has been out in front of and around my business panhandling my customers every day since this incident.
Kevin Kirk, owner
The Heavy Metal Shop
Salt Lake City