Salt Lake City is committed to providing urban mobility through a diversity of transportation choices – including walking, bicycling, transit, and driving. The City’s bicycle initiatives seek to improve safety, enhance quality of life, provide sustainable and healthy transportation choices, and improve air quality in our region.
The public art program in coordination with the Transportation Division commissioned two local artists, John Riddle and Paul Heath, to enhance the Cycle Track by treating large concrete planters with paint and tile. The artists’ inspiration for the designs for the 33 planters along the Cycle Track comes from two sources. The first is an abstract representation of the directional paths and arrows which are often found on maps. The second is bold curved shapes meant to represent the motion, glide and flow of riding a bike. Superimposed on these designs are stylized bike gears and bright tile bands. Of the original 33 planters, 21 remain in place along 200 West
The artists “hope that these colorful planters will enhance the Cycle Track’s experience for cyclists as well as the pedestrians, residents and visitors to Salt Lake City who travel along the street and sidewalks.”
The 200 West Cycle Track project is part of the implementation of the City’s Downtown in Motion Master Plan (adopted in 2008) and Complete Streets Ordinance (passed in 2010), as well as the Wasatch Front Regional Council’s Regional Priority Bicycle Network.
Artwork featured in header: Through the Safety Lens by Alexander Tylevich