S. Davis residents begin opposition to streetcars
By Joseph M. Dougherty
Deseret News
Published: Wednesday, March 3, 2010 8:12 p.m. MST
CENTERVILLE — Residents at a public hearing Tuesday had no shortage of complaints about a plan by the Utah Transit Authority to build a streetcar line from Salt Lake City to Centerville.
Complaints touched on support by local governments, location, cost and impact of the project, whether the project is needed and how safe a streetcar would be along the Main streets in Centerville and Bountiful.
Cami Layton, a Centerville resident, said UTA's commuter train, FrontRunner, isn't yet used to capacity, and neither are local buses.
She objected to the $411 million to $470 million estimated price tag for the project, which doesn't have funding yet.
"Centerville wants to be consumer-savvy in an economic downfall," Layton said.
But she said she recognizes UTA's job is to create transit opportunities.
And there's a huge opportunity in Centerville and Bountiful to help residents commute to Salt Lake City without using their cars, says UTA spokesman Gerry Carpenter.
If the project eventually gets the go-ahead, an electric-powered streetcar on steel rails could come to southern Davis County with a bus route to the Farmington FrontRunner station. It would operate both in exclusive and shared lanes with cars along its 12-mile route.
"Davis County is one of the fastest-growing counties in the state," Carpenter said. In the next 20 to 50 years, congestion on Davis County's roads is expected to grow, so solutions are needed before congestion becomes gridlock.
"The line is part of a balanced transportation approach," he said, adding that it is projected to have 15,000 riders a day by 2030.
"It's critical for us to start thinking ahead," he said.
Residents say it's easy to get in their cars and drive, said Centerville Mayor Ron Russell. "It won't be that way 10 years from now."
The mayor said the streetcar will help reduce dependence on oil and reduce pollution.
For residents who say the streetcar should go to Centerville's destinations, such as the city's shopping district, Davis County Library and future Davis Cultural Arts Center, Russell said the streetcar's mission is to help get people to their jobs and home, not necessarily to bring them to the grocery store.
Tuesday's public hearing focused on the project's draft Environmental Study Report, for which UTA is accepting public comment. Comments received by March 16 will be addressed in the project's final report.
About 200 people attended the hearing, held at Centerville Junior High School, and filled out comment cards or left verbal comments with a court reporter.
Brent Hintze, a Centerville resident, said he thinks the rail line isn't warranted and just won't work. He said he's concerned that if the project is completed, drivers will flee Main Street and cause congestion on side roads so they don't have to drive next to a streetcar.
UTA should focus on looping local buses to get more motorists to FrontRunner stations in Woods Cross or Farmington, he said.
Centerville resident Bruce Smith said over the past week, he and fellow residents gathered more than 1,000 signatures of residents who oppose the project because of how it could affect the community.
"UTA is in the business of building trains," he said. "We are in the business of building communities."
A bus rider for 25 years, Smith said UTA's buses already get the job done.
Other comments may be submitted via the project's Web site at www.rideuta.com. Click "projects" and "South Davis Transit Study." Comments may also be submitted in writing to South Davis Transit Corridor Project, c/o H.W. Lochner, 1245 E. Brickyard Road, Suite 400, Salt Lake City, UT 84106.
A copy of the draft ESR is available online and at city halls in Salt Lake City, North Salt Lake, Woods Cross, West Bountiful, Bountiful, Centerville and Farmington.
e-mail: jdougherty@desnews.com
twitter: desnewsdavis
You people are crybabies.
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