Salt Lake City | Transit and Airport Developments

[delts145]

It would be impossible to overestimate the effect that TRAX has had on Downtown Salt Lake City
over these past, brief ten years. In many ways it has been a key element in spurring the
development and change of Downtown as if overnight. Once brown, blighted industrial earth,
strewn with rusting metal, has given way to block upon block of vibrant new urbanscape.
Even those areas of downtown that were considered upscale are experiencing billions
in redevelopment, in order to accomodate a whole new mind-set.

Photo tour, under construction. Check back later for additional pics.

by geomatic1

As with many Downtown Main Streets across the U.S., Salt Lake City's Main was experiencing
a slow and painful death. Now, a whole new future is blossoming on Main, with new residential, the construction of
hundreds of retail establishments including regional flagship department stores such as Macy's and
Nordstrom, new condo towers, clubs, broadway style theatres, and restaurants etc.

by Kevin Shieh

The 400 South corridor, which shuttles students from downtown and up the mountain bench
to the University of Utah. Just another vibrant corridor being created, due in great part to TRAX

unknown

Taken yesterday by forumer, Future Mayor. This City Creek Center development is
comprised of 25 acres and is flanked and interspersed by Downtown TRAX, lightrail.

by Future Mayor

It will be fascinating to see what the next ten years brings to Salt Lake City, as many more miles of
light rail, commuter rail and now trolley's comes to town.

[delts145]

I-15 declared a natural-gas corridor

http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,705284726,00.html


Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. refuels his natural gas-powered Chevy Suburban during a stop in Utah County to launch the I-15 natural-gas corridor.


..."We're going to see if we can do a better job at making the infrastructure available for people traveling all along I-15," the governor said, "and guarantee it's going to stimulate a whole lot more interest in this fuel called natural gas."

The Orem refueling station is one of 25 in Utah — 19 of which are owned by Questar and six are owned by the state — with additional stations planned for Beaver and Washington counties. There are also at least 50 privately owned CNG refueling stations.

Huntsman said there was little talk about cleaner air and energy efficiency when he ran for governor the first time in 2004. The second time around, however, the governor said he heard such talk everywhere he went...

..."I can tell you that we're swimming in natural gas," Jibson said. "We have large, abundant supplies that have yet to be tapped. So much of the abundant supply of natural gas is right here in our state, right in this region." ...

Questar, state to boost natural gas for vehicles
Compression upgrade will help customers with quicker fill-ups.

http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_11691842



...Questar will open two new natural gas stations in southern Utah, and the state government will upgrade its six public-use outlets to boost capacity. The public-private moves are part of an initiative Huntsman said should encourage bordering states to build the infrastructure to make natural-gas vehicles more convenient. Utah and the nation have abundant gas preserves that can decrease dependence on foreign oil, the governor said.

"It's here," he said. "It's part
of our state. It creates jobs. It cleans the air." ...

...

[delts145]

Utahns want more trains - U. poll » Most favor extending TRAX and Frontrunner, but balk at bonding for freeways.

By Brandon Loomis
The Salt Lake Tribune

If laying the first tracks didn't settle the debate a decade ago, riding the trains since then would seem to have done it: Utahns like light rail.

A survey by the University of Utah's Center for Public Policy & Administration finds overwhelming public support for continued investment in rail transit projects. Among 1,002 residents polled statewide, 79 percent said continued funding for rail projects either is very important or somewhat important.

Among the 546 interviewed within the Utah Transit Authority's service area, that support spurted to 81 percent, said Jennifer Robinson, associate director for the U.'s center.

It's no surprise to Wasatch Front Regional Council Director Chuck Chappell, who said nine-plus

years of riding the rails have convinced once-skeptical Utahns that they need transportation choices.

"There's huge support for that on the part of the council and now, apparently, the public," he said. "I think it's [because of] experience with congestion on the highways and the need for alternatives in the peak periods."

Robinson said it also may be because skyrocketing gasoline prices last summer boosted the number of riders, exposing more people to TRAX and FrontRunner rail service. UTA recorded a 12 percent jump in passengers during 2008, though January's numbers -- a few months after gas prices plunged -- were back near last year's numbers, up just 2.4 percent. Light rail continued to gain popularity, though, up 16 percent from a year ago while bus ridership fell.

The poll was conducted by Dan Jones & Associates from Jan. 29 to Feb. 7 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percent.



Support for bonding to build new freeways was more lukewarm in the poll. Only 38 percent backed bonding for the proposed Mountain View highway in western Salt Lake County, and 48 percent favored bonding for reconstruction of Interstate 15 in Utah County.

Utahns interviewed downtown Thursday said they value light rail and commuter rail. Scott Jubeck said he wishes he could commute to his tech-industry job in Lehi -- a wish that will come true when UTA completes FrontRunner south into Utah County.

UTA also remains on track to extend light rail to Salt Lake County's west side, Draper and the international airport.

Many of those who opposed sales taxes to build light rail in the first place remain unconvinced, though. Activist Janalee Tobias still prefers highway spending, perhaps coupled with better bus service or private vans. She's not surprised, though, at the support for subsidized transit.

"They don't have to pay the full cost of light rail," she said. "If they had to pay the full cost of a ticket, they wouldn't ride."

[Drew Chamberlain]

If you want to believe this Garbage go ahead. Let me tell you as a Salt Lake business owner TRaX has been terrible for our city. Salt Lake City is dead. There is no new development associated with mass transit. Just come here and see for yourself. Boarded up buildings and a declining business district. It does us no good at all to tell lies just to appear successful. One of your pictures of "new" development is of Gateway shopping, that is not in downtown and was built 2 years before TRaX was built next to it. TRaX ridership is down 30% (yes thirty) under just 2 years ago. Any successful new development (like Gateway) caters to the 99.1% of us that use a car. Call me if you have any questions at 801-913-4611. And stop misleading us, it reflects on your character.

Thanks,

Drew

[arkhitektor]

Hey, Drew, glad to see you've joined the forum and made your first post. We've actually discussed some of your "ideas" on this forum before.
Click here and see post #829
For those of you not in the know, Drew Chamberlain is a used-car salesman and local anti-transit wingbat who for years has been screaming to anyone who will listen that public transportation is a waste of money. (Google his name with UTA and you'll see some of what I mean.)

Fortunately, his opinion doesn't reflect the majority of Utahns, who are pleased with the area's advances in public transportation and frequently vote in favor of taxing themselves in order to pay for extensions to the current system.

According to an article about his "organization" the coalition for accountable government in the Salt Lake Tribune, Drew is a former copy-machine repairman turned used-car salesman. From the Tribune's article:

''We can put an end to this debate once and for all,'' said Drew Chamberlain, a former copy-machine repairman now in the used-car business with the Coalition for Accountable Government. Chamberlain says the only solution to traffic is to build more roads. ''The real losers are us, because we sit in traffic,'' he said. ''By using money for rail, we are ensuring gridlock in the future.''

Thanks, but no thanks.

Oh, and when I last checked, the Gateway was built in 2001, two years after TRAX opened in 1999. Also, have you been downtown lately? There is a 1.5 BILLION dollar redevelopment going in adjacent to the TRAX line. You should ride the train down and check it out sometime

[Shawn]

A used car salesman who doesn't like light rail and thinks we need more roads for more cars to drive on? In other breaking news, Boston doesn't like the Yankees.

EDIT: a used car salesman accusing others of misleading statements which reflect poorly on their characters, nonetheless.

[Drew Chamberlain]

You have proven my point, better than anyone could have. Do you work for UTA? You are right, Gateway was built in 01 for cars. LRT at Gateway opened 2 months ago. Your picture proves it, notice that there are no footprints in the snow on the platform. In other words it is either not open or no one uses it, either way you loose. LRT is not a development magnet, it just sucks taxes. Now, shall we talk about FrontRunner? I would love to show you the congestion study on that one. Sure, you can call me anytime at 801-913-4611. May I call you? It would be helpful if you used your REAL name!

Drew

[Cirrus]

For 50 years we've been studying highway congestion, and just about every credible non-GM-funded transportation expert in the country agrees that building more roads just leads to more congestion, and that the only way to solve our congestion problems is to get out of the cycle of sprawl and road-building that makes alternative means of travel so difficult.

Or we could listen to a used-car salesman whose financial well-being requires everyone to buy lots of cars.

Hm. Credible transportation experts whose analysis' are based on decades of objective and careful examination, or someone whose only connection to the transportation industry is that he makes money when more people drive. Think think think.

[arkhitektor]

Originally Posted by Drew Chamberlain

You have proven my point, better than anyone could have. Do you work for UTA? You are right, Gateway was built in 01 for cars. LRT at Gateway opened 2 months ago. Your picture proves it, notice that there are no footprints in the snow on the platform. In other words it is either not open or no one uses it, either way you loose. LRT is not a development magnet, it just sucks taxes. Now, shall we talk about FrontRunner? I would love to show you the congestion study on that one. Sure, you can call me anytime at 801-913-4611. May I call you? It would be helpful if you used your REAL name!

Drew

I don't work for UTA, I'm just a happy UTA rider and work for a company THAT IS CURRENTLY DEVELOPING communities at three locations adjacent to the TRAX LRT corridor. There are at least 7 transit oriented developments that I can think of going in along the TRAX lines right now, not including all of the development that it has spurred downtown. To say that LRT doesn't attract development is blatantly untrue.
What alternate universe do you live in where you can simply make things up and will them to be true? The Arena TRAX Station (formerly the Delta Center station) opened in 1999, 2 years before the Gateway was built, so you are wrong in saying that the Gateway was built before LRT opened.



Perhaps when you say it just opened 2 months ago you were referring to the TRAX extension to the Intermodal Hub? That actually opened in April 2008, 11 months ago, not 2.

Originally Posted by Drew Chamberlain

Your picture proves it, notice that there are no footprints in the snow on the platform. In other words it is either not open or no one uses it, either way you loose.
Drew

There is no snow on the platform in this picture for there to be footprints in:



Actual data suggests that 79% of Utahns polled support funding for light rail and commuter rail. The same study showed that less than half of those polled supported bonding for freeways.

Why in the world would anyone give their name and phone number to a stranger on the internet? So some nutcase like you can call me at home? No thanks.

[Drew Chamberlain]

Listen to what you are saying. Do you really believe that building roads does not solve congestion? And why attack me for owning a dealership? I do not attack you for working for UTA. I own a car dealership because I love cars, There is nothing better than getting in one of my convertibles and cruising up the canyon. And if mass transit is so great then why did traffic increase on I-15 when FrontRunner opened and congestion disappeared after Legacy Highway opened? Why is TRaX ridership down 30% and FrontRunner down 40%??? These are fair questions. How about some fair answers.

Drew 801-913-4611 waiting for your call,

[Drew Chamberlain]

Thank you for the picture, look at it again. The shot is a bit old. The TrAX line stops before Gateway. The new line goes left and down and is brand new like you said. You have conveniently left out the parking for Gateway. Also look close, can you see anyone walking from the stop to Gateway? For that matter can you see anyone at the stop? The streets are full. Ohhh the truth hurts!

Drew 801-913-4611 only wackos may call,

[John Martin]

What dealership do you work at..?

[Drew Chamberlain]

I own Liberty Auto.

Drew

[Shawn]

Again: credible transportation experts whose analysis' are based on decades of objective and careful examination . . . or a used car salesman (a trustworthy and honest profession if ever there was one) who profits when people choose roads over rail, and who makes 5th grade grammar mistakes ("either way you loose"? Really? Confusing "loose" and "lose"?).

[Drew Chamberlain]

Shawn,
It says you are the moderator, does that mean you should be fair? Your argument is a good one and could win if we were in 6th grade. Once again: if mass transit is so good then why is TrAX ridership down 30% and FrontRunner is down 40%?

Drew,

[Cirrus]

This is how more/wider roads cause more congestion:

1) Congestion is what you get when there are lots of cars on the road. More/wider roads cause a greater number of people to think they can drive longer distances. That causes a larger number of cars to be on the road for a longer distance. More cars on the road for longer distance = more congestion.

2) More/wider roads make alternative means of transportation more difficult. The best roads for moving cars fast are the worst roads for walking or taking transit. So the more roads you have, the fewer people can use the train, bus, bike or their own feet. That means almost everyone has to drive to get almost everywhere they go, which means there are more cars on the road more often. More cars on the road more often = more congestion.

This is a basic principle of transportation planning. It is called induced demand. Every transportation planner in the country knows about it. To suggest that it doesn't exist is very much a 6th grade level of sophistication on the subject.

Sorry Drew, you are wrong.

[Drew Chamberlain]

So the Legacy Highway directly killed FrontRunner, I'll accept that.

Drew,

[delts145]

Surprise.... I hadn't checked-in to this thread in a while and hadn't realized there was such an interesting discussion going on. Well, as someone who commutes the corridors of both metro L.A. and metro Salt Lake City, A big round of applause for the wise and varied approach of the current leaders and planners along the Wasatch Front. God forbid that the Wasatch finds itself in a similar situation as L.A. does today, "too little too late."

I am most definately not anti-highways. The wise implementation of strategic parkways and highways is important to me. However, the freeway only approach, without a significant option of heavy commuter, BRT, trolley, and light-rail is not only ludicrous, but a proven recipe for a historically well documented, gridlock disaster. There are more than enough excellent metro examples of this, such as my own L.A. or a Houston, and the list goes on and on. Salt Lake, unlike too many burgeoning metros is ahead of the game, and I'm elated to return each time from an L.A. that is trying to catch up to it's growth and transportation needs, but it ain't easy, and might just prove impossible at this juncture.

It would take a complete dimwit, incapable of any level of multi-task thought to not understand that L.A's past transportation record, or any number of major metros "just build more freeways approach" has been anything but successful.

Given L.A.'s poor implementation record during the past fifteen-plus years over nightmare transportation issues and it's current and ongoing fiscal trauma, it is now poised to lose an incredible amount of much needed current and future business to more prudently planned transportation infrastructures, like Salt Lake and Denver.

[delts145]

Southern Metro - Prep work in Lindon green-lighted for UTA commuter rail

http://www.heraldextra.com/content/view/303802/17/


Utah Transit Authority General Manager John Inglish introduces the UTA FrontRunner engine train that will serve Utah County beginning in 2012 during a groundbreaking ceremony in Lehi Tuesday.

Lindon City Council members have cleared a path for the Utah Transit Authority to start construction on city property for the FrontRunner commuter rail project.

.

[wrendog]

30% decline eh? Yes, they overestimated when they first counted and numbers lowered when they implemented an improved counting system. That doesn't mean the numbers declined, just that there was an overestimation. Since the improved counting system, the numbers have INCREASED. Sorry Drew.

http://www.apta.com/research/stats/r...nts/08q3lr.pdf