Hey, What About The Buses

Behind the front page: Don’t forget bus system in Davis

Aug 09, 2013 | 406 views | 0  | 5  |  | 

Rebecca Palmer

           By Rebecca PALMER

         Clipper Editor

When UTA project manager Bill Knowles explained                  the current South Davis Transit Study to the Clipper         editorial board, one of the things he said struck me as particularly insightful.

The next generation is likely to use public transit much more than older ones have, he said. I immediately thought of my teenage siblings and how they have been much less interested in driving, and especially in owning cars, than I was. They just ride the bus and train everywhere, and see no shame in it.

At about the same time, articles came out in the national press with titles such as “Millennials strain America’s love affair with cars,” and “Study Indicates That America’s Driving Boom is Over,” both in response to a new study by the U.S. Public Research Interest Group, or PIRG.

It is clear to me that the transportation landscape is changing for good, and also that when we use public money to follow the trend, we must do so with the utmost caution and care. 

Last week, the Bountiful City Council voted to give the Utah Transit Authority $15,000 for its part of an ongoing South Davis Transit Study.

Bountiful had declined to pay about a year ago and was being carved out of the study, although Davis County paid the city’s share of the cost, city administrators said. Other cities, such as Centerville, also declined to make the initial payment.

UTA officials disagreed that Bountiful was being left out, and we weren’t able to determine what had happened either way.

However, we sympathize with one of the other major concerns expressed by councilmembers.

For example, Councilmember Tom Tolman said that he has received many calls from UTA customers over the years complaining about their bus service being cut.

While we understand that no bus service routes have been changed recently, I have seen the quality of bus service in many areas throughout northern Utah decline in recent years. Some of this seems to have been a way to make expensive projects such as the Frontrunner train and multiple Trax lines financially possible.

In retrospect, I disagree with the decision to cut bus routes. Part of the reason we offer UTA .55 cents for every dollar spent here is so that it can provide full-fledged service to all residents, not just to relatively well-off commuters during rush hour.

Looking forward, we strongly encourage UTA to consider building out its bus service rather than spending more money to create any kind of rail lines here. Fast busses could be part of the solution, but even they are more expensive than traditional bussing.

It’s true that buses aren’t as shiny and fancy as other kinds of mass transit, but they are effective, and they do get used. They are also easy to reroute in case of emergencies, and new natural gas technology makes them cleaner and less smelly than ever.

The bus system would be used even more if the network becomes a reasonable alternative to car ownership. Today, it simply fails to meet that goal.

But if we could get there, perhaps my siblings and their generation will be more likely to be less reliant on cars. If we can accomplish that, our roads will be less congested and less expensive to build and maintain, our air quality is likely to improve and we could be confident that our public funds are being put to good use.

Read more: The Davis Clipper - Behind the front page Don t forget bus system in Davis 

Bountiful & UTA - Another Transportation Study

Bountiful miffed, but gives UTA cash

Aug 01, 2013 | 1053 views | 0  | 8  |  | 

BY REBECCA PALMER

Clipper Editor

BOUNTIFUL — The City Council here reluctantly decided on Tuesday to hand over $15,000 in cash to the Utah Transit Authority for a transportation study, but the semi-private agency isn’t out of hot water.

The split 3-2 vote to offer the cash comes about a year after the council decided against funding its part of the study. At the time, Davis County pitched in extra cash so the study would qualify for federal money.

In the meantime, Bountiful and other South Davis cities such as Centerville had been drawn out of the map being used for the study, according to Bountiful City Manager Gary Hill.

The next day, UTA spokesmen Remi Barron said Bountiful had not been left out of the study.

Councilmember Tom Tolman voted against giving UTA the money.

“I think we need to have a good relationship but this kind of seems like they’re putting pressure on us to give them money, if nothing else,” he said.

Councilmember Fred Moss also opposed the vote. “They don’t do anything for us,” he said. “They’re cutting routes.” Moss added that it doesn’t make sense to give UTA money to study future transit options when its not meeting its patrons’ needs now.

UTA denied that it has cut service, and Barron said there are about 7,500 daily trips on buses in the county.

“We are the stepchild,” Moss said. “There’s nothing in the plan to do anything other than take our money and do a study with it.”

There have been at least four studies on transit in south Davis, and none have resulted in concrete plans or projects despite the fact that Davis County has upped its sales tax contributions to UTA by one quarter of a cent on every dollar spent. That brings the total county contribution to slightly more than half a cent per dollar.

The Bountiful Council is still reeling from the South Davis Transit Study completed in 2008, which recommended rail lines and brought out angry residents in droves.

Councilmember Beth Holbrook, a candidate for mayor, voted in favor of providing the new money.

“I think that we need to actually consider playing with them a little on this,” she said. “I think we need to know what they intend to do and how they intend to do it.”

Also voting in favor of the plan were councilmembers Jon Marc Knight and Richard Higginson.

rpalmer@davisclipper.com

Read more: The Davis Clipper - Bountiful miffed but gives UTA cash 

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

Ogden Streetcar Project Too Expensive?

Ogden mayor drops city streetcar project

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Ogden Mayor Matthew Godfrey says he's put the brakes on a proposed $160 million streetcar system because the project is too expensive.

The Standard-Examiner of Ogden reports the city would have to double property taxes to cover the $80 million needed for construction and $2.3 million in annual operating costs. That's even if the federal government funded half the project.

Godfrey says the city just doesn't have the funds.

City councilmembers, however, say they'll go forward with a study on the streetcar's economic impact and the viability of securing federal funding.

The proposed streetcar line would link downtown Ogden with Weber State University and McKay-Dee Hospital.

The council contends the route would foster development and serve residents.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

SLC and South Davis County

Lots of ties between Davis County and SLC

byTom Busselberg

Aug 06, 2011 | 346 views | 0  | 2  |  | 

SALT LAKE CITY Planning Director Wilf Sommerkorn has been a longtime resident of Kaysville. Courtesy photo

SALT LAKE CITY — As the ads for at least one Bountiful area automobile dealer used to say, “It’s a short 10 minute drive from Salt Lake City.”

That short drive underlines the many “connections” which exist between the state’s capital city and Davis County, says Salt Lake City Planning Director Wilf Sommerkorn.

A longtime Kaysville resident, Sommerkorn was the chief Davis County Planner for many years, and took the top Salt Lake City position about three years ago.

He cites a streetcar connection as one tie that could develop, although admits things are “not moving very fast” on what would be a line snaking up Beck Street’s east side, passing through Bountiful into Centerville.

Davis County opposition to that plan has been strong, with some residents of both Bountiful and Centerville saying it would create too narrow of a traffic way for other vehicles while also questioning the need for a streetcar.

In Salt Lake City’s Sugar House area, hopes are high for a streetcar that would go from the South Salt Lake TRAX Station to just before 11th East, Sommerkorn said.

“Salt Lake City received $26 million in a federal grant,” but $11 million more will need to be found to complete the line, Sommerkorn estimated.

About 40 people, including developers, attended a recent meeting about the project. Stuart Adams, a Layton-based developer and state senator, was among those at that meeting.

“We’re working with South Salt Lake City on a redevelopment project...that has all the elements needed,” Adams said. It’s close to the I-80 and I-15 “spaghetti bowl,” TRAX line and light rail from West Valley City, he said.

“It’s an area that in the past was very valid, has had a lot of activity,” Adams said. “This is an attempt to revitalize, bring great life into that project.”

“If Davis County can get that kind of streetcar, it seems developers are much more interested” in adjacent areas when there is such a prospect, Sommerkorn said.

“In Portland (Ore.), they spent between $300 million and $400 million” developing a streetcar line, and the return on new investment in that area has been about 10 times that, Sommerkorn said, citing similar success in Seattle.

The Jordan River Trail is another connection between Salt Lake and Davis Counties, with the Davis County portion finished months ago.

Although Salt Lake received funding first, its trail portion has been stymied by lawsuits dealing with the proposed soccer park that would border Davis County.

Development of Salt Lake’s huge Northwest Quadrant is also being eyed, with a draft plan being developed. It would border Davis County, as well, stretching as far west as Magna to Rose Park.

Sommerkorn has continued his membership on the Friends of Antelope Island board that has covered many years.

“There are a number of projects we’ve done that I don’t think there’d be any way to do, otherwise.”

The group generates private funding through fund-raisers, grants, etc., to augment facilities and projects at the state park that the state can’t finance.

“It is a good example of a friends group, where you can get private money (that works) when people don’t want to donate to the government directly,” Sommerkorn said.

tbusselberg@davisclipper.com

Good News - More TRAX Lines Open

UTA opens 2 west-side TRAX lines Sunday

August 6th, 2011 @ 8:06pm

By Ladd Brubaker

SALT LAKE CITY — By some measures, Sunday is a historic day for the Utah Transit Authority. When two new TRAX lines begin service to the west side of Salt Lake Valley, they will add up to the most miles of light rail to be put into service in a single day.

The original TRAX line that opened Dec. 3, 1999, ran 15.1 miles from the Sandy Civic Center to the then-Delta Center. The new Mid-Jordan line runs 10.6 miles from the Fashion Place station to the Daybreak development in South Jordan. And the new West Valley line runs an additional 5.1 miles, totaling 15.7, according to the UTA.

At more than $900 million, it's the costliest addition to the light rail system to date. And it will immediately bring average daily ridership to 58,000.

"This is a great day. I believe it will only be greater in the future, as generations to come see that we had the foresight to create these TRAX lines when we could do it." -Kent Money

Sunday’s significance is not lost on UTA and local government leaders involved in a planning and construction process that has been in the works as far back as 1996. That’s when Wasatch Front Regional Council planners first outlined the need for transportation options on the west side of Salt Lake Valley.  

At one of two grand opening ceremonies Tuesday, Kent Money, the mayor of South Jordan said, “This is a great day. I believe it will only be greater in the future, as generations to come see that we had the foresight to create these TRAX lines when we could do it.”

Many members of the public are excited for the new TRAX trains as well.

“For me, I love trains,” said Ariel Aguin, a young father of two. “I would take them everywhere if I could.” He was riding the new line from West Valley City Hall to downtown Salt Lake with his family Wednesday during UTA’s Food for Fare day.

Since he works in Taylorsville, though, Aguin won’t be taking TRAX to work. But his wife, Andrea, says, “We’ll definitely use it when we go downtown. There’s plenty to do downtown.”

TRAX is also adding more new rail cars than are now in use: the 77 new “low-floor entrance” cars add to the 69 older models now in service.

The two lines are also the most costly addition to Salt Lake County light rail. The original line came in at $312 million in 1999, according to UTA. The West Valley line alone cost $370 million, the Mid-Jordan another $535 million.

UTA is projecting 14,000 weekday riders on the two lines at opening, to add to its 44,000 daily average now.

West Valley TRAX line

Credit: Utah Transit Authority

UTA is not only nearly doubling its track miles, Carpenter noted. But with three lines now running trains every 15 minutes on weekdays (every 20 on weekends), a new train from one of the three lines will arrive at some stations every two to three minutes.

The high-traffic area from 2100 South to Courthouse at 400 S. Main. “will have a very high level of transit service,” Carpenter said.

For example, a northbound Red Line train from Daybreak is scheduled to hit the Central Pointe station at 8:05 a.m. A Sandy Blue Line train should make it at 8:10, and a West Valley Green Line at 8:15. Another three trains will come in heading south.

UTA may decide to adjust schedules later, if needed, to maximize the use of TRAX resources, he added.

But riders to the new and old lines will want to pay attention to some changes to make sure they are on the right train.

Perhaps the biggest change, UTA spokesman Gerry Carpenter says, is for those traveling to the University of Utah. Northbound riders on all but the Red Line train must transfer one stop sooner — at Courthouse station, instead of Gallivan Plaza.

Those on the Red Line train, which travels directly to the University of Utah from South Jordan, heading into downtown must also transfer to a Green or Blue line train at Courthouse.

The southbound Green Line West Valley trains split off from the main TRAX corridor at the Central Pointe station at 2100 South. And South Jordan-bound Red Line trains head west from the Fashion Place stop at 6400 South. Of course, a rider could always transfer sooner than needed.

Mid-Jordan TRAX Line

Credit: Utah Transit Authority

Lighted signs on the sides and ends of the rail cars let passengers know which line they’re boarding.

On the new trains, the low floor entry should be the most obvious difference to many riders. No more being greeed by a steep set of stairs when the doors open. The low floors will make it easier not only wheelchair riders, but also cyclists, stroller pushers and others.

And each car’s two center doors have a low ramp that slides out from the floor and onto the platform. When pushed, it takes the doors longer to open to allow the ramp to slide out. To access a ramp, push the round, blue buttons with the International Symbol of Access, or  “wheelchair symbol” that are on the doors. The round, green buttons just open the door without a ramp.

Another change that may surprise some: paid parking. Not to worry, though. The charge applies only to the 550 TRAX-dedicated spaces in a new parking structure at the Jordan Valley station at 3400 West and 8600 South, which is near Jordan Valley Hospital.

It’s the first parking structure that UTA has ever built or owned, Carpenter said, and it is a part of the transportation, retail and residential center being developed there. Parking costs $2 a day or $35 a month.

Carlos Malespin of West Valley City was getting a jump on trying out the route to his work, as he enjoyed the Food for Fare rides Wednesday with his son, Carlos Jr., age 9.

Malespin hopes the new line saves him from taking a bus to the north-south TRAX line, then another bus to his work as a nursing assistant near Sugar House, he said. He emigrated from Nicaragua 18 years ago where mass transit is common, but usually in the form of a bus.

He likes the new cars. The seats are more comfortable and the views seem better. “Mas moderno,” he said.

“I’m so happy to this chance to ride the train from West Valley.”

Email: lbrubaker@desnews.com

UTA Expanding TRAX Service, Cutting Bus Routes

UTA expanding TRAX service, cutting bus routes

May 14th, 2011 @ 12:44pm

By ksl.com

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Transit Authority announced Thursday that it's cutting bus service in order to fund two new TRAX lines. 

Bus routes in Salt Lake, south Davis, and Tooele counties will be cut or realigned effective August 7 to make room in its limited budget for South Jordan and West Valley TRAX lines. 

The public transit agency has faced budget challenges due to lower than projected sales tax revenues. UTA authorities estimate ridership under the new plan will increase by at least 6 percent. 

After receiving public input, UTA said it will retain most Sunday bus service. 

“Public participation in this process was critical,” UTA general manager Michael Allegra said. “We received more than 900 comments, and they have been invaluable in helping us to make our final decisions.”

UTA said it plans to create several connector bus routes to provide coverage to areas affected by the route changes.

As for TRAX, all trains on the Mid-Jordan line will become direct trains traveling between Daybreak in South Jordan and the University of Utah. The new line will replace the existing University line.

Trains on the West Valley line will travel between the West Valley Intermodal Hub and Salt Lake Central Station in downtown Salt Lake City.

All train lines will operate similar hours to the current TRAX schedule, with 15-minute service on weekdays from around 5 a.m. to 11 p.m., and 20-minute service with shorter hours on Saturday and Sunday.

Maps and information on planned route changes can be found online at www.rideuta.com.