Whether by bike, bus, or train, how do you get around SLC? If you’re new to town, here are some tips on navigating our city’s modes of transportation.
🚲 Biking
Salt Lake City has made efforts to try to make our streets more pedestrian and bike friendly despite being a car-centric city. Salt Lake City’s Green Loop, for example, is a pop-up concept that would add more biking and walking trails. And the 9-line is looking good these days!
SLC Bike Map
This handy dandy guide shows you the city’s main bikeways.
GREENbike
If you haven’t committed to bike ownership quite yet, but want a more convenient way to get around downtown, you can grab a GREENbike. They have over 30 docking stations!
Looking For a Fun Bike Ride?
Bryant Heath of SLSees created a bike route, about 30 minutes long, that will take you past all 60 murals of South Salt Lake Mural Fest.
Life Hack
Stay vigilant. Utah drivers are notoriously … not great. Assume that drivers aren’t looking out for you, because most of the time they aren’t.
🚌 Buses & Trains
Bussin’ bussin’. (@rideutah/Instagram)
The Utah Transit Authority is our public transportation system. They offer buses, light rail trains (TRAX), and commuter trains (FrontRunner).
Know Before You Go
The FrontRunner doesn't run on Sundays. And all UTA services don’t run later than 1 a.m.
Life Hack
The Hive Pass is a great deal for all Salt Lake City residents. It's $42 and you get a subsidized pass that gives you unlimited access to most of the modes of transit, and discounted access to FrontRunner.
- Related: Johnnae Nardone of Sweet Streets makes the case for the bus over the mini van with her family of 6. [City Cast Salt Lake 🎧]
🚙 Cars
Grid System
Once you master the grid system, it’s fairly simple to navigate your way around. Everything is based off of the LDS temple in coordinates. When you’re at 2100 S., you are 21 blocks south of the temple. If you are at 600 E. you are six grid lines over, eastward, from the temple.
All signs point to parking. (@alangrow/Twitter)
Parking
If you see this sign you can park here but you’ll have to pay, Monday-Friday between 8 a.m.- 8 p.m., for a maximum of 2 hours at $2.25/hr. You can pay at a pay station or through the ParkSLC app. On Saturdays you can park for free for 2 hours and Sundays are free all day. If you have a hybrid or EV, you never have to pay the meter.
Life Hack
When a light turns green, look both ways before you hit the gas. It’s likely there will be a car or two that runs the red light.
- Interested in going car-less? Or at least car-light? City Cast Salt Lake host Ali Vallarta and lead producer Emily Means weigh out the pros and cons. [City Cast Salt Lake 🎧]
Do you have a life hack for getting around Salt Lake?
