South Davis Transit Pact Approved

S. Davis transit pact approved

by BY TOM BUSSELBERGThe Davis Clipper

Dec 14, 2012 | 276 views | 0 | 2 | |

THE STUDY will determine what kind of mass transit options should be available in the county. Photo by Rebecca Palmer | Davis Clipper

slideshow

FARMINGTON – Davis County Commissioners and the Utah Transit Authority signed a South Davis Transit Study agreement on Tuesday that will look at the possibility of providing light rail, trolleys, buses or other transit operations in the area.
The county will provide $7,500 in funding, along with $7,500 from Wasatch Front Regional Council, $15,000 from North Salt Lake City and $30,000 from Salt Lake City.
The $60,000 will be matched by $360,000 in non-federal funds, said Kent Sulser, Davis County director of community and economic development.
The study is to determine what kind of mass transit options should be developed in the area, whether it be fixed or guided rail or bus rapid transit, he said.
The city of Bountiful is notable in its absence from funding participation in the study.
Bountiful Mayor Joe Johnson told the Clipper Tuesday night that previous efforts at a study some years ago were not supported by neighboring cities*, particularly the Centerville City Council. The Bountiful City Council supported it at the time.
This time around, Bountiful leaders withheld their support.
“There was no money for it, anyway,” he said. Some $15,000 was going to be asked in city support but Davis County and Wasatch Front contributed that amount.
The study will be completed in 2013 and hopefully will enable federal funding to be accessed Р although no time line for when that might happen is known, Sulser said.
“Projects like this don’t happen overnight,” County Commission Chair Bret Millburn said. “It may be quite a number of years before we get funding.”
“Davis County considers this a significant transportation need,” Sulser said of mass transit for South Davis.
He said the county “feels the public interest needs to continue to be served to facilitate a transportation system in and around that area.”
Although FrontRunner services the area with a Woods Cross station, many commuters don’t use it. Particularly if they live on the east bench or are far from that or the Farmington station, they likely can drive to Salt Lake City faster than they could get there by taking the train, he said, referring to his own situation as a Bountiful resident.
“I think the report will really provide us a solid framework from which we could consider a workable solution in that corridor,” Sulser said.
The study several years ago brought a lot of negative uproar, particularly from Centerville residents who worried a streetcar would impede commerce and traffic flow in that city. Similar concerns were raised in Bountiful about routes proposed there.
As of now, Centerville and Farmington are not specifically included in the study area, Sulser said.
“I don’t know if the study will go that far. It will probably stop at Bountiful,” he said.
“It’s phenomenal how transit has grown along the Wasatch Front,” Millburn said. “We consider mass transit a great economic development and lifestyle opportunity.”
Clipper Editor Rebecca Palmer contributed to this article.
tbusselblerg@davisclipper.com
*This article has been amended to accurately reflect the positions of the Bountiful City Council.

Read more: The Davis Clipper - S Davis transit pact approved

Centerville City Newsletter - July 2012

From the Mayor's Message:


What happened to UTA’s transit study? About two years ago, UTA conducted an environmental study about transit options for South Davis County. One of the alternatives considered in the study was a street car option from Centerville to downtown Salt Lake. The study created a great amount of community interest and raised concerns about the impacts of a street car system. The study results made it clear that rail transit could not qualify for federal funding based on the projected cost per rider. Since no funding source is available, the rail option is no longer being studied. UTA will be studying the possibility of bus rapid transit in Bountiful and North Salt Lake. Centerville is not part of that study.
 

Centerville News Update - May 2012

The following is from the May 2012 Centerville News Update: 


South Davis Transit Corridor Project Update


In March of 2010, the Utah Transit Authority (UTA) conducted an open house in Centerville to present the South Davis Transit Corridor Project draft report, which described the various transportation alternatives that could be used to meet the future travel demands between Salt Lake City and South Davis County. Representatives from the UTA answered questions and received comments on the various alternatives including a streetcar system following highway 89 from Parrish Lane to Salt Lake City.


The UTA received more than 2,000 comments; the vast majority were opposed to the proposed streetcar alternative. The main concerns were about the alignment of the rail system, the costs of building the system and how it would be funded, the risk to pedestrians, and the impact the rail system would have on business and property values.


As a result of the community's comments, the UTA will be working with the Wasatch Front Regional Council, the Utah Department of Transportation, and the communities of South Davis County to find a better solution to address the increased traffic. A streetcar system is no longer being considered. More specifically, Salt Lake, North Salt Lake and Bountiful cities will be involved in the study of a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) route among those communities, but Centerville City will not be participating in that study. 

UTA may lack funds to operate expansions, audit shows | ksl.com

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Transit Authority may not have enough money to operate the light rail and commuter rail extensions that are currently under construction, according to a legislative audit that examined the agency's finances.

That could leave the agency and local cities with two painful options once the tracks are completed: Cut service or ask area residents for more money to operate the trains.

The report by the Legislative Auditor General, released Thursday morning, states that local sales tax revenue provided most of the agency's $275 million budget in 2010, but "it remains uncertain whether UTA will have the revenue to satisfactorily operate the costly system that it is building."

The transit authority is in the midst of its FrontLines 2015 project, adding 70 miles of rail service, including the planned FrontRunner South commuter rail line. That line, originally slated for a 2014 completion date, is ahead of schedule and could be operational by early December.

The south extension, which would run commuter trains between Provo and Salt Lake City, would connect with the original line that runs from downtown Salt Lake City to Ogden. In addition, UTA is currently working to complete light rail extensions to Salt Lake City International Airport and south to Draper.

It remains uncertain whether UTA will have the revenue to satisfactorily operate the costly system that it is building.

–Legislative audit

Auditors said the agency should make clear to local officials and taxpayers the full costs of continuing to expand the transit system.

UTA Board chair Greg Hughes said if funding falls short the agency would not be inclined to seek a "revenue enhancement or tax," but some municipalities could decide to implement a sales tax to generate more revenue and maintain rail service.

"We are very aware that if the revenues don't arrive, then we will be forced to cut service or live within our means," Hughes said. Thus far, UTA has not had to resort to tax increases even during the recent economic downturn, according to spokesman Gerry Carpenter.

The audit report and potential of needing more money for service is not enough to dissuade some who are anxiously waiting to park their vehicles and take the train into Salt Lake City and as far north as Ogden.

"It's so worth it!" said Pleasant Grove resident Linda Peck. "Knowing that I would not have to fight the traffic, (pay) the difference in the fuel cost, and to know I'm on a train not worrying about everything around me ... I'm all for it."

She said that even a small tax hike would not dampen her enthusiasm.

Another Pleasant Grove resident, Mark Barraclough, said he would take the train whenever it was convenient rather than make the long drive into the city and search for parking.

"It's just so much easier … and not have to worry about a car," he said. As for a possible tax increase to fund any future revenue shortfalls, he said, "Within reason, I would support it."

Among the audit findings were that transit cost-effectiveness has decreased since 2006; the agency's debt service payments would consume a large portion of future sales tax revenues; and UTA's revenue projections are optimistic and expenses may be understated.

The audit also noted that fare revenues increased 47 percent between 2006 and 2010, but still remained lower than other Western states with light rail or commuter trains. Additionally, the report stated that balancing federal subsidies and ridership would be a challenge for UTA moving forward.

In a joint letter responding to the audit findings, Hughes and general manager Mike Allegra said the economy continued to be a concern, but the agency's management "is doing an exceptional job considering the challenging economic environment of the past few years." The letter also stated that UTA has adjusted expenses to compensate for lower revenue and is still able to continue with its rail construction plans and meet its debt obligations.

UTA is currently building the most expensive rail project in the agency's history. Previous rail lines totaled $1.1 billion with 78 percent of funding coming from federal subsidies. However, the current project, which adds four light rail lines and extends the commuter rail to Provo, is estimated to cost $2.3 billion with just 24 percent covered by federal dollars.

Auditors found that light rail is more cost effective than buses, but commuter rail is less cost effective than both bus and light rail.

While auditors concluded that UTA's funding is uncertain, the agency responded that its ability to meet its commitments demonstrates "UTA's ability to monitor and adjust to changes in the external financial environment while at the same time moving ahead with the projects."

Agency officials have said that pulling together local funding sources has allowed UTA to work toward completion of all of its rail projects, while other comparable transit systems have been forced to alter or abandon their plans due to a reduction in federal support.

"I think our economy is going to rebound and … that is going to solve a myriad of challenges that governments and (agencies) have," Hughes said.

The audit was conducted at the request of the Legislative Audit Subcommittee as a follow-up to a similar audit completed in 2008.

Email:jlee@ksl.com