Utah not using transit options

You'd never know it in his home state, but Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Mike Leavitt is encouraging employers to offer commuting options to help ease traffic congestion — the primary source of air pollution.

Only three participants of EPA's "Best Workplaces for Commuters" program announced Wednesday are in Utah. There are 1,070 participants listed nationwide.

The report, online at www.bwc.gov, includes JC Penney Co., Salt Lake County and Utah Transit Authority.

One reason so few employers in Utah participate might be the qualification requirement that an employer guarantee a ride home in an emergency for workers who use public transportation, said Dianne Nielson, executive director of the Department of Environmental Quality.

But the Utah Transit Authority provides a backup program for businesses that encourage their employees to either telecommute, bike, walk, carpool and do other things to cut down on the number of single-occupancy vehicles on the roadways, Nielson said.

Environmentalists say the main reason the program isn't used more is the mentality of government leaders in Utah who generally focus on building more roads than building and promoting other tansportation options.

"I think people will use transit if you build it," said Marc Heileson of the Utah Chapter of the Sierra Club. "We have wonderful plans for transit expansion and we are looking at riderships now of 40,000 people a day riding TRAX. But we need to make the priority to fund and build them."

EPA officials believe the best workplaces program, which began just three years ago, is becoming one of the agency's most successful volunteer efforts to get employers to recognize the financial benefits of reducing commuter gridlock.

Employers can save money by not having to build or expand an employee parking lot. Productivity increases as well among workers who aren't caught up in traffic jams.

"We are just scratching the surface at this point," said EPA spokesman John Millett. "But with more than 2 million employees having access to some type of commuter options we have a great start. Today that will help draw more attention to the program."

To qualify as a best workplace companies must:

• Pay commuters to take transit or offer telecommuting.

• Offer at least three other benefits such as showers for bicyclists, on-site day care or incentives to live near work.

• Hire or appoint someone to run the program.

It could be costly for smaller companies, said Nielson, which is why many opt to go through UTA.

"EPA, doing this to recognize larger companies, is great," Nielson said. "It showcases the value of the program. What UTA does is make the program available to others by offering van pools and (discounted) bus passes. The real objective is to find options that work for people in the workplace and provide flexibility."

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E-mail: donna@desnews.com