On SLC's wide streets

SLC has the widest streets (132'). It's a quirk resulting from our large blocks, and surveyors convention that the ratio of street width to block size be 5:1 (Our blocks are 660', so it's a 10:2 ratio). In a very limited number of cases, it's handy, as it permits us to do things like have a 24' LRT guideway with 6 lanes of traffic. But most of the time, it's just acres of asphalt. (132' ROW means each blockface represents two acres of asphalt). Some of that gets used for parking, some of it for bikelanes. In other places, we've expanded the 'parkstrip' between sidewalk and curb out 20'. In other places, we've added planted medians with trees.

Grades of Right of Way

'Degree' of Right of Way (ROW)
A: Grade Separated (Elevated/Underground)
B: Separated (Exclusive use, separated by vertical barrier)
C: Dedicated (Exclusive use, separated by painted stripe)
D: Mixed Traffic

This applies for all vehicles: Cars, trains, and bikes. The names change by mode, but the effect is constant: The higher the 'degree', the faster and more safely you can travel; less interference with other modes, less danger of another vehicle intersecting your path.

CARS
A: Freeway
B: Best car pool lanes
C: Most car-pool lanes
D: Most roads

TRAINS
A: Subway, (& best light rail)
B: Light rail (inter-urban configuration)
C: Light-rail, in-street for fire-lane
D: Streetcar, or tram.

Bicycle
A: Elevated bikeway
B: Separated bike lanes (bikeways)
C: Most bike lanes
D: Biking in the street.

A bike does not need a road. A road is engineered to support thousands of pounds per square inch. Something much lighter (and cheaper) works. But lets get this out of the way: Sidewalks are for pedestrians, not bicycles. Bikes travel at 5-15 miles per hour, three times of a pedestrian. The geometric design, in terms of clearances, straightness, and pavement quality that works for a pedestrian doesn't cut it for a bike. So we need a bikeway. Bikeways get called 'multi-use paths' so that people can also skateboard, rollerblade, and jog on them. It's a legacy of their historic recreational use.