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..... The opinions expressed in these articles and features are those of their author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of McANA or the opinion of its Directors or Officers. |
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Giddiup:
Urban Utahns Wild About Riding Iron Horses Salt Lake City achieved much fame with highly successful conduct of the 2002 Winter Olympics. The headquarters of the Mormon Church and its internationally famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir, helps bring more than 5 million tourists a year to the city. But little known outside Utah is its transportation system, focusing on light-rail, that was selected the 2002 Transit System of the Year The bulk of Utah’s population strings out along the Wasatch Front, named for the imposing Wasatch Mountains that form a spectacular ridge along the east side of a 150-mile valley. The success for the Utah Transit Authority (UTA) is credited largely to a bus/light rail system that carried more than 31-million passengers in 2002. It has not come easily. John Inglish, the general manager, says he was “a pariah five years ago,” and was called “the prince of darkness” for promoting light rail, called TRAX. In fact, a light rail referendum was defeated 52-48 percent in 1992. But a long-range transportation plan, centered on light rail that opened in December, 1999, was approved by an almost similar margin in 2000. That didn’t stop protestors, 250 making a large noise at the groundbreaking of the first station. The detractors claimed that it cost too much, funding was not adequate, it would not add riders, and no one would ride it. Some businesses claimed years-long construction would kill business downtown and along the University routes. But, says Kris McBride, media relations manager, that has gone away now. Ridership was double projections in the first year and now the system is negotiating for 29 new pieces of equipment. During peak times, all TRAX trains are full. Average daily ridership on TRAX is almost 31,000 and 6,500 on Sundays. That totals more than one fourth of all UTA riders. Many riders today say they have heard nothing negative about TRAX now. Don Gilchrist, a 68-year-old resident of the south county, says he rides it two or three days a week. He knew the old trolleys, having grown up in Salt Lake. But “they ripped the rails out” and is pleased that this system is now in place. “It’s easier and less expensive than a car.” He even uses it to bring his family to downtown for events. No one he knows has anything negative to say about it. An 81-year-old resident who lives near downtown said, “I didn’t think people would ride. But I tried it and liked it better.” If she didn’t have TRAX, she would be driving a car. A 21-year-old resident of the northwest part of the city takes a bus to the TRAX line and rides it almost daily to her work visiting retail stores in the valley. “It’s faster than the bus,” she said. A couple of post-doctoral students at the University of Utah ride TRAX and prefer it. From Bombay, India, they are used to public transit in a densely packed city. TRAX is “better than a bus, it’s faster, and has less pollution,” they say. And it’s safer, they believe. send comments
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2003
