Marci Rasmussen was backing out of her shop’s parking when, she said, a cyclist screamed at her.
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Now the Salt Lake City florist wants the protected two-way bike route removed. She’s starting a petition.
The Close Call on 400 South
Rasmussen owns Especially For You, a florist on 400 South in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah. In early October 2026, she had a close call backing out.
“He was screaming at me,” Rasmussen said. “I said, ‘You need to be careful too.'”
She said drivers must watch for pedestrians, bikes and scooters in both directions, then traffic. “It’s not normal for them to look the other way to see that it’s a two-lane bike lane,” she said.
What the City Says
Rasmussen says lost parking cut her revenue about 22%, though the city said it cannot validate it.
The city said Rasmussen raised concerns during design. Officials modified the driveway and fencing “to improve sight distance.”
The city said it is not aware of any unusual crash or near-miss complaints beyond hers, and plans no further changes. It said similar driveway conflicts exist at other protected cycle tracks.
Cyclist Jessica Kaing supports bike lanes. “I do think that there are areas where it works,” she said, but called this busy stretch “really tricky.”
“There has to be a way to figure that out,” she said.
In Philadelphia, a funeral home and a bike lane have clashed too.
The Trail and a New State Law
The route is the 400 South Viaduct Trail, opened in May 2026.
A 2026 Utah law, SB 242, requires the city to agree a plan with UDOT by January 1, 2027, to mitigate traffic-calming impacts on 400 South from West Temple to I-15. That stretch includes her shop.
The city says the two are still working on it.
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