Owl line, pt 2

A ways back, I posited an 'Owl line' from the Airport to the University. Had a long talk with George Chapman a few months back, who suggested that the Owl Line was kind of a waste of time.

This summer, my step-son is commuting to the Airport from my house (by the U of U). It takes over an hour to reach the airport. And I suddenly realized why I never take TRAX to the airport (it takes too bloody long). Indeed, I once had a professor who would bike(!!) to the airport. But it's only about 10 miles, and a bike travels about 10 miles an hour...so in good weather, pretty feasible. 

I know that for short distances, bikes and buses travel about the same speed (it's a toss-up whether I take the bus or bike from my house to Sugarhouse). But it's kind of bleak to realize the same is true over longer distances, and not through a dense, walkable area. 

But what makes the TRAX trip so long is not actually the trip--it's the transfer. Rule of thumb is that a transfer requires time equal to half the headway (or 10 minutes if it's a 15+ minute bus). But my step-son tells me that the red line departs (within sight) from courthouse station, right before the Green arrives. So he gets to wait 7.5 minutes to board the Green, and another 15 minutes to board the Red.

Why do people not ride transit? Because it's slow.  I recall one city who long-range transit plan was to have a transit trip be no slower than twice a car trip. Which seemed like a ridiculously low standard (at the time). But it's one that that TRAX between University and Airport is clearly not meeting. And the reason for that is clearly the transfer. 

Cycling lanes in SLC

I grew up biking in a context where urban biking was dangerous, drivers indifferent and sometimes hostile. Being killed by being hit behind from a careless/inattentive driver was continual worry. (Which is why I often bike on the wrong side of the road--at least I can see someone coming). Three yeas ago, I didn't care--the risk was an inherent part of the activity. But now...

I want separate bicycle lanes, I want them everywhere, and I  don't care what it does to traffic speeds. When I bike, I bike with family, with vulnerable people. So the separated bike lanes are really nice. Having a lane of parked cars between you and traffic is an enormous comfort--distracted drivers get to crash into a parked car, instead of someone you love. The painted lines are crap, and I sneer that them. Sure, they are better than nothing...but not much. Most were put in place as part of road diets, as an excuse to narrow the road--the bike lanes on 700 East and 300 West most notably.

I think SLC should take a lane off the whole of 3rd South and give me a continuous protected route from Downtown to University. The traffic volumes don't justify the pavement width, anyway. 100 South cars, 200 South for Streetcar, 300 South for bikes and 400 South for TRAX.