Date received Name Representing Comment Additional comment April 28, 2020 Brad Tanner I support the the expansion of the Provo Trail beyond Vivian Park. April 28, 2020 Austin Taylor Transportation Commission Members I am emailing to voice my support for the expansion of the Provo River Trail at $6.1 million. These trying times have shown us how important trails are to the mental and physical health of our communities. The Murdock Canal Trail in Utah County has seen an increase of 80% in ridership compared to this time last year because people need outdoor activity to stay healthy. This expansion will give people an opportunity to explore more of nature and improve their physical and mental health. It may also benefit the economies of the Provo and Heber City areas as people ride bikes between the two areas to shop, dine, and recreate. I do this with my wife on bike tours through Provo Canyon but we are crazy and willing to take a risk riding on the highway. Lastly, this project will enhance safety for cyclists on the route. People are currently biking on the debris-filled shoulders of a 55mph highway with 17,000 trips per day. While some road cyclists choose to take the risks, the vast majority of people who bike avoid it. Expanding the river trail would make riding in this area safer and expand this opportunity to more people. -- Austin Taylor April 28, 2020 Doug Smith Wasatch To Whom It May Concern, County Planning I am writing this e-mail in support of the funding for the Provo Canyon Trail from Vivian Park to the Deer Creek Dam. This trail is supported by the County trails master plan and I am sure that the growing number of residents in both valleys would utilize the new trail heavily. Thanks you for your consideration of funding for this important segment of trial that will connect the Heber Valley with the many trail options in Utah County. Sincerely, Doug Smith Wasatch County Planning Department Heber, Utah April 28, 2020 Hayden Andersen My name is Hayden Andersen, a graduating senior in Civil Engineering at BYU. I believe that the expansion of the Provo River Trial will benefit all users, making it more accessible to everyone in the are. I support this project. April 28, 2020 Beth Liechty I am emailing my support of funding and expanding/finishing the Provo River Trail. I am an avid cyclist who consistently rides from Cedar Hills to Provo Canyon and up the trail as far as I can go and would LOVE to have the option of safely biking farther up the canyon. I have also biked the same route and extended it up through the Alpine Loop, and being able to ride from the end of the current trail to the Sundance exit safely would be amazing! This is such a popular trail to both ride and run, and to have the option of going farther would be a benefit to so many residents. I fully support and encourage the funding of finishing this project for the physical and mental well being of so many Utahns and visitors! -- Beth Liechty, B.S., CHES Brigham Young University Academic Advisor Department of Public Health Provo, UT April 28, 2020 Adam Carmack Hi, I'm a Provo resident, and I would like to express my support for funding the final segment of the Provo river trail. My wife and I walk our dog on the river trail multiple times a week, and have loved the improvements that have been made already in other portions of the trail. I personally believe that the river trail is a unique and great addition to Provo and hope that we maintain and utilize it to its fullest potential. Thank you, Adam R. Carmack April 28, 2020 Vanessa Stanfill Hello! My name is Vanessa Stanfill and I am an Orem resident. I would like to MOST enthusiastically encourage you to approve funding for the last portion of the Provo River Trail! We are an active family of 7 and we use the trail system almost every day most of the year. My husband commutes to work on bike 9 months of the year, partially on the Provo River Trail. I use the trail system for recreation and exercise nearly year round. My 13-year-old just bought a road bike and has been riding portions of the Murdock and Provo River Trails almost every day this spring. My four other children ride the trails with their mom and dad too. We love the bike trails! I rode my bike up the highway in Provo Canyon this past week, and it is, frankly, terrifying. The traffic speed is too fast for me to feel safe sharing the road, and the shoulder is full of debris. Please, please approve this extension of the trail. I promise that my husband and I, and our whole family full of future little cyclists, will use it for a generation to come! I've noticed that the trail usage this year has grown by leaps and bounds - I've heard the Murdock trail is up 80% this past two months! These trails are a huge blessing to our community by promoting outdoor recreation, physical and mental health, and improving the standard of living for all of us. Thank you! Vanessa Stanfill Orem, UT April 28, 2020 David and Cherie Schetselaar I would love to get this trail extended to the lake! Widen American Fork Likewise....i would love to get American Fork Canyon road widened...even if its just a couple feet Canyon on either side...it is so dangerous for bikers right now April 28, 2020 Stephanie Latour To Whom It May Concern: I'd like to voice my support for the project to extend the Provo River Trail up to Deer Creek. The trail is a huge recreational draw for people in the community and I think that further extending it would only increase the popularity of the area. The trail provides a safe, easily accessible outdoor area where people can exercise and enjoy the beauty of the mountains. These are the kinds of community projects we should be funding as a society. Stephanie Latour April 28, 2020 Daniel Jensen Hi, I'm a local resident (Provo) and frequently use the Provo River Trail from Utah Lake to Vivian Park. This trail addition will: -Add more needed miles to an already highly-used and highly-prized trail system. -Increase access and visibility to the Provo River in a section where people often float the river. I frequently kayak that section of river and come across individuals needing medical attention. The section can feel remote. The trail would allow those unable to safely complete the float to exit the river and walk safely downriver. -Connect Heber Valley to Utah's most robust trail system (Provo River and Murdoch Canal/Jordan River) and connect cyclists (mountain bikes)/long distance runners from Utah Valley to Heber Valley via the trail on the west side of the reservoir. -Be an awesome trail! This is the kind of golden opportunity to help Utah Valley continue to be a better and better place to live! Thanks commissioners! Daniel Jensen Provo Resident April 28, 2020 Mary Wade Hi, I am emailing to register my support for allocating $6.1 million to complete the trail gap to connect Provo & Heber. This would be a pivotal project to connect the two counties, reduce cars on the road, improve safety, and improve recreational opportunities. I am a resident of Provo, and I have family up in Heber who we frequently visit. On many occasions, we have decided to go for walks on the Provo River Trail together, but because it ends in Vivian Park, we always have to drive, find a parking space, and then take our walk. If the trail were completed, we would not have to depend on cars and the high-demand parking spaces to enjoy the outdoor recreation that Provo Canyon offers. It would also improve safety for people on bikes who are already attempting to close the gap by riding along the highway, a risky move that only the most confident cyclists attempt. I ride an electric cargo bike with my children, and I would never feel comfortable riding on the shoulder along such high speeds. But I would certainly bike the length of a safe trail to Heber! Finally, for improving recreational opportunities, even before this pandemic, the Provo River Trail was in such high demand that it had become difficult to navigate. It is clear that we need to increase opportunities to meet the demand, both to boost our physical and mental health. I hope this funding is allocated to help maximize the connection, safety, and recreation the Provo Canyon has to offer! Thank you, Mary Wade April 28, 2020 Christina Bartholomew I'm writing to support wholeheartedly the extension of the river trail through Provo Canyon. This trail is used often by my family and we would love to have it go from Vivian Park to Deer Creek Dam. Thanks, Christina Bartholomew April 28, 2020 Troy James I've heard that a recommendation was made to fund expansion of the Provo River Parkway Trail from Vivian Park to Deer Creek Dam. I would really like to see this project funded and see the trail completed! I use the current trail and so do many of my neighbors for bike rides and accessing the canyon trail systems. We need more cycling infrastructure to encourage this as a means of recreation and transportation.