Our public transportation priorities are misguided
Text 
No comments [ Add Comment ]By HARRY SENEKJIAN
Guest commentary
It was with interest that I read two items in the May 23 newspaper regarding the issue of public transportation. The editorial regarding bus and rail transit, "UTA fare hike only fair solution," indicated the newspaper's view that raising the fare was necessary and inevitable.
This is contrasted with the article indicating that the state will spend $20 million for an impact study regarding the proposed north extension of the Legacy Parkway. This is just a down payment on the hundreds of millions that will be spent on the actual construction of the highway. This is in addition to the hundreds of millions that have been spent on the short, probably unnecessary Legacy Parkway that is nearing completion.
This is a highway that parallels I-15 and has cost nearly $700 million.
Contrast the dollars that are being spent on these road projects with the $5 million Utah Transit Authority is projected to need to "break even" and you can readily see how our priorities are skewed. With gasoline approaching $4 a gallon, can we afford to spend the hundreds of millions on roads that we cannot use?
Should we not be using our funds in a more effective way to provide convenient and cheap public transportation rather than laying down concrete that may never be used?
Our love affair with the automobile needs to end. Last week my wife and I took the FrontRunner to Salt Lake City to attend a downtown event. It was a pleasure to not drive and simply relax on the train.
Normally, we would have driven and struggled with the highway as well as downtown parking, especially since there were three major events taking place in downtown Salt Lake City. My only complaint regarding FrontRunner was the inconvenient schedule. After 6 p.m., the train runs only once an hour. Moreover, the last train leaving Salt Lake City is at 11:25 p.m., making late-night activities impossible.
Would not our dollars be more effective in the long run if we used them to enhance our public transportation rather than building more highways? Why not take the hundreds of millions of dollars and support the bus, train and light-rail systems rather than build highways? Make public transportation cheaper and more convenient.
Get rid of the idea that public transportation is only for poor people and commuters to work. Run the trains and buses more often. They may be empty for a while, but if they are more convenient and run more frequently, everyone will use them.
Are the highways public work projects that provide jobs and money to contractors or are they really necessary?
During the Depression, we had such projects to keep people employed. Is this really necessary today? Public transportation is not as sexy as highway projects, but is a much more effective use of our dollars.
Why not combine the Utah Transit Authority and Utah Department of Transportation into one organization that will look out for the public good rather than their individual fiefdoms?
I will be more that happy to take the train to Salt Lake City for future events. However, changes need to be made that result in more convenient schedules and transfers to the bus and light-rail systems.
One final comment regarding the FrontRunner: Why not make one car of the train darker at night for those who wish to enjoy the scenery and lights along the way rather than have it brightly lit?
Senekjian is an Ogden physician.
