How Salt Lake City Turned Its Unpopular Public Transit System Into a Hit

[thelakelander]

We could learn from Salt Lake City. Similar sized metropolitan area as Jax but now has light rail, commuter rail, BRT and soon streetcar. All built since 1997. 


UTA Max BRT - operations started in 2008 - 10 miles - 4,100 riders a day


UTA TRAX light rail transit - original line opened in 1999 - 44.8 miles - 60,600 riders a day


Frontrunner commuter rail - original line opened in 2008 - 88 miles - 13,000 riders a day

2012 MSA population estimates:

1,377,850 - Jacksonville MSA
1,123,712 - Salt Lake City MSA

It wasn't always the case that Utah was in a hurry to build public transit. In 1992, voters rejected a tax measure that would have funded a light rail line in Salt Lake Valley. In 1997, at the groundbreaking for what would become the successful TRAX system, protestors held up signs that read: "Light Rail Kills Children." Not exactly a warm welcome.

Oddly enough, one of UTA's most effective strategies for uniting people was targeting those who don't use public transit. The agency and its advocates pointed out that TRAX ridership saves 29,000 trips — or two full freeway lanes — in the Interstate-15 corridor every day. Road-reliant businesses like UPS ran ads explaining that FrontLines would help residents get their packages quicker by reducing traffic.

UTA also worked hard to create what Meyer calls an "inter-local agreement" among cities up and down the Salt Lake Valley corridor. Transit officials explained the basic infrastructure that would be put in place in every city and told local officials that they would have to pay for any extra amenities themselves. That early clarity prevented cities from withholding support unless they got a better deal than others.

"This eliminated some of that one-upsmanship you see," he says.

full article: http://www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2013/10/how-utah-turned-its-unpopular-public-transit-system-hit/7298/

[fsujax]

I was just in Salt Lake City, absolutely amazing public transportation. Thank the Mormom Church for encouraging the movement to improve the City with a world class transit system.

[ProjectMaximus]

Transit officials explained the basic infrastructure that would be put in place in every city and told local officials that they would have to pay for any extra amenities themselves. That early clarity prevented cities from withholding support unless they got a better deal than others.

Love that.

[spuwho]

Similar populations, different densities due to geographies.

SLC has mountains to the east and a lake/desert to the west.

This forces the population to elongate along the valley and puts a larger emphasis on I-15 to provide primary travel. So it is not surprising to see the movement to improve it through various transit forms.

Jax needs a UPL so the density can improve to some degree. (Portland, OR did this)

Would be interested in seeing SLC tax base and some per capita numbers compared to Jax.

I would like to see how the tax base to support 3 major forms of transit compare to what Jax can support.

[thelakelander]

A lack of density isn't an issue in Jax. We have a different landscape and we need design according to it. This could basically mean investment in fixed transit in a much more compact area (like the urban core only) than what they've had to deal with. After all, in reality we have small pockets of walkability (ex. a 30 sq mile urban core, beaches, etc.) in a sea of suburbia. So where an SLC gets away with 44 milesof LRT, 5-10 miles wwould do wonders for our actual "city".