SB 242 and Why It Matters and What's Next

Why This Matters for Save Not Pave

SB242 may sound like a technical transportation bill, but for those of us who care about safe streets, it changes something important. It shifts more power over local street decisions to UDOT. That means the future of streets like Wasatch Blvd and the roads leading into our canyons will increasingly involve state oversight.

And if I’m being honest, that gives me a little pause. Not because collaboration is bad. Collaboration is good. But because I still remember sitting in a meeting about a year ago when someone at UDOT told me, very proudly, that they now have to design roads with the expectation that people might ride bikes on them.

My reaction was basically: wait… what?

You mean we are just now planning roads with the idea that bikes exist? That might have been cutting-edge thinking in 2003. But in 2026 it feels a little like showing up twenty years late to the party and announcing you brought chips.

But here’s the thing. If this bill means more decisions about our streets run through UDOT, then that means our community needs to show up even more. Because no traffic model, spreadsheet, or consultant knows our streets like the people who actually walk and ride them every day.

Which brings me to another piece of work happening behind the scenes.

Next week I’m meeting with the mayor and city staff to talk about revamping Cottonwood Heights’ volunteer process. A lot of residents want to serve on boards and commissions that actually shape the future of our community. But the current process can feel… mysterious.

Applications disappear.
Openings aren’t always clear.
And sometimes the politics behind the scenes determine who gets a seat at the table.

I know this because I’ve applied myself. My application apparently went on a spiritual journey somewhere inside city hall and has not yet returned.

But here’s the good news: city leadership is willing to talk about fixing this. The goal is to create a clearer path for residents who want to serve, volunteer, and help make decisions that affect our neighborhoods.

Because the truth is pretty simple, and I'll say it again....

Nobody understands a community better than the people who walk and ride its streets every single day.

And if SB242 is going to push more decisions into rooms with state engineers and transportation departments, then we better make sure the people who actually live here make sure they understand it.

So stay tuned. Show up. Stay engaged.

Save Not Pave isn’t going anywhere.