Spanish Fork Pedestrian Crossing Improvements

I believe Spanish Fork, in partnership with UDOT, should finish pedestrian corridors around Canyon Road, Spanish Fork Parkway, and Highway 6. Development around these areas has been in place for years and residents expect that this infrastructure should be built to support safe pedestrian transit between key destinations like parks and schools.

In this post I will give examples of where the build out of pedestrian walkways is incomplete. We should not consider a road to be complete unless there is a safe, accompanying pedestrian route.

Here are some high level guidelines I would suggest:

  • Require completion pedestrian infrastructure between major destinations
  • Add more stoplights / roundabouts to Canyon Road to slow down traffic
  • Mark all crosswalks clearly, consider adding flashing beacons
  • Find additional ways to fund pedestrian and road improvements in addition to developers and MAG
  • Prioritize a walkable city
On Canyon Road and 2300 East the sidewalk comes to an abrupt end on the North West corner. This locks pedestrians and cyclists into an area where the road is unimproved and the sidewalks inconsistent. It should also be noted that the cross walks are only painted in one direction. This is the site of this accident.
The North side of Canyon Road West of 2300 E has no sidewalks. As there are already existing homes on a portion of this right away we can not expect that new development will pay for the sidewalk or trail improvements. This needs to be addressed as this is no longer a rural road.
Sidewalk and trails are sporadic along the North side of Canyon Road. The South side is consistently paved. With the recent build out of the All Abilities Park we can expect more people will travel by foot on both sides of Canyon Road.
The growth of town homes and condos brings more young families with children who need walking paths as a safe option. Retail close to residential areas increases the attractiveness of walkable cities.
Another point of frustration is the crossing of Spanish Fork Parkway and Highway 6. There is a pedestrian crosswalk that leads to nowhere. The property across from Walmart is in front of a new townhome development. Given the new development why were sidewalks and trails not included on this side of the road?
Traveling North on Spanish Fork Parkway from Highway 6 leads to the Holiday gas station, however the crossing to the North leads to a dead end.
On the other side of the round about the side walk comes to an abrupt and bumpy end. This requires pedestrians to trudge through the field or just walk on the road which is narrow with a very small shoulder.
Further north between this church and Maple Mountain High School there is no pedestrian walkways on either side of Spanish Fork Parkway. Maple Mountain High opened in 2009 and students regularly walk this path that as manually worn.
During the school year Cross County track regularly runs along Spanish Fork Parkway. Pedestrians also walk between the school and neighborhoods south of here.
North of 400 N a trail was added in front of an undeveloped piece of land. This shows that it is possible to add pedestrian infrastructure before development. Can this model be extended across all of Spanish Fork Parkway?

Posted by Paul