Local motion: how Utahns get from point A to point B.

• Author: King, Heather L.
• Position: Business Trends: Transportation

EACH YEAR, UTAH'S BURGEONING population places increased strain on our transportation systems: More people, more cars, more air traffic ... all make for more stress on individuals and on our environment. Here's a look at how local innovations relating to air travel and public transportation are keeping us on the move.

Public Transit

For decades, Utahns have generally resisted public transit, preferring instead to drive themselves to their destinations. But recendy, Utah Transit Authority (UTA) has seen a dramatic change in attitude. 'Transit is definitely becoming more popular," says UTA spokesperson Kris McBride. "With the first TRAX system opening in 1999, people saw that there is a good way to get around with transit. It got people out to look at it." Now, three years later, with the north/south line averaging 20,000 riders per day, and the University of Utah line moving 8,000 people per day (nearly double the number that was initially projected), travel along the Wasatch Front is changing rapidly.

This is supported by UTA's commitment to examining their system regularly to make sure it's serving riders best. "We make major changes to the system three times a year, and those changes are made to reflect the changing travel patterns in our community" says McBride. He cites examples of the IRS relocating to downtown Ogden leading UTA to change the flow of their bus system. He also credits BYU and UVSC in Utah County with instituting the Ecopass program that allows the schools to purchase passes so that students can ride UTA buses free all year long. "We saw a 48 percent increase in bus ridership in Utah County and we attribute it a lot to the program," McBride says.

Carter & Burgess, a national transportation planning company with offices in Salt Lake and St. George, has been instrumental in helping UTA and the Utah Department of Transportation plan and develop both long-range and short-term plans for the transportation system serving the Wasatch Front. "We completed the Inter-regional Alternatives Analysis project to identify what needs to be constructed and developed," says Stan Postma, vice president and office manager for Carter & Burgess. Recommendations included commuter rail from Payson to Brigham City light rail extension to the West, and a full plan that will serve the Wasatch Front 30 years into the future.

The most recent transportation innovation in Salt Lake City is the downtown token. Announced just days before the...