Tag: FrontRunner

Categories
culture State

Taking a Long View

Aside from my interested in transit and my general appreciation for the possibilities of Utah County, I did not expect that I would have much to gain from FrontRunner South now that I have moved North. When I read about the groundbreaking for FrontRunner in Utah County the comments helped me see that I still have a stake in the project.

This comment:

Great, now I can take commuter rail all the way to Cougar football games on fall afternoons.

Reminded me that I will not likely go to many BYU games with family memebrs which has been a fun event once or twice a year for me while I lived in the area. Once the line is finished I could go from Bountiful as easily as I did from Lehi for those games.

Another:

They really should finish first what they have now considering the line from Ogden to Pleasant View City is still not complete.

Reminded me that there are still detractors who must still be countered with leavel-headed reason. Which section of rail is likely to have more riders per mile – Ogden to Pleasant View, or Salt Lake City to Provo?

Categories
life

Living My Ideals

With the beginning of my new job I will have the opportunity to use public transportation regularly. I have always been in favor of using public transit but since I have always either worked from home or lived close enough to commute by bicycle I have never really used the transit system in Utah on a regular basis. That will change starting in July as I become a holder of a monthly pass (I’ll be driving to work for my one day of employment in June because I wil not be at my regular office location on that day of orientation).

I hope and believe that I will enjoy that time in transit where I don’t have to worry about the traffic. I plan to read and think during those times as a way to prepare for and unwind from my workday. The hope is that this allows me to really be with my family while I am at home rather than having my thinking interfere with my attention during family times.

Categories
culture politics State

Embracing Broad Perspectives

I was listening to a story on NPR about young Indians abroad returning to help their country. One statement that caught my attention was the assertion that Indians who have lived in Western cultures have experienced the problems and some of the attempts to fix problems that the West has been dealing with for decades and which the Indian culture and economy are just beginning to experience as the economy there expands. Because of their perspectives from other nations they have a unique ability to help India avoid some pitfalls that the West has seen – if enough people will listen to them.

Later I was having a conversation about transportation issues in Utah and it occurred to me that the same phenomenon applies here. People in Utah who have spent appreciable time back East in areas of higher population density are much more likely to be supportive of mass transit options, tolling, and other transportation options that are often distasteful to those who have lived in the sprawling west all their lives. If those with the perspective of having lived back East are heard we might be able, as Utah continues in its rapid population growth, to avoid some pitfalls such as becoming another concrete urban jungle like Los Angeles. Only if we start making better use of transportation infrastructure options besides increasing amounts of asphalt.

Trax is good, FrontRunner is good, but lets try to make sure that such transportation options are part of the fabric of the area, not just an anomaly that feeds people into the downtown Salt lake City area.

Categories
Local politics State

Another City Overrulled

Why did State lawmakers mandate a FrontRunner stop for Bluffdale? In some ways this sounds like the decision by UDOT to toss the Lehi City proposal for the Mountain View Corridor.

SB286, sponsored by Sen. Sheldon Killpack, R-Syracuse, exempts UTA from complying with city ordinances – as long as that city lies in a first-class county and the rail spans at least two counties. . . Killpack acknowledged his bill targeted Bluffdale.

I do see some glaring differences though. In the MVC case it was an acknowledged fact that there had to be a route through Lehi as part of the Mountain View Corridor project – the only real question was what was the best way to fill that need. I do not see that same basic agreement existing in the FrontRunner case.

As far as I know, Bluffdale was not blocking the rail route, only the stop. If that’s the case, wouldn’t it be cheaper for UTA to build the line without the station – not moving the station elsewhere, just build one fewer stations on the line if Bluffdale does not want a commuter rail stop in their city. Does anyone know of a reason why they have to have that stop for FrontRunner?