County folks don't want to 'disconnect' from UTA

PROVO — Transit talks among elected officials in Utah County have included a possible disconnection from the Utah Transit Authority for local bus service.

But a new poll indicates county residents don't want to see that happen.

A Dan Jones & Associates poll conducted for the Deseret Morning News and KSL-TV asked 203 Utah County residents whether they would like to see transit services in the county operate separately from UTA or remain with the statewide transit authority.

Sixty-five percent of those surveyed said the county should stay with UTA, while 13 percent favored putting local jurisdictions in control of transit.

"That's an overwhelming support for our agency," said Justin Jones, UTA spokesman. "I think we've done a good job, and we stand by our record."

No matter which transit options emerge as viable solutions for the county, additional funding likely would be needed. Residents are split on whether they'd be willing to pay additional sales tax to see the county's transportation needs addressed.

According to poll, 48 percent of those surveyed would support such a tax increase, while 45 percent would not.

With both questions, there is a 7 percent margin of error.

UTA has been providing bus service to areas of Utah County since 1985. But as the county continues to grow, elected officials say the county's needs are changing, leading to the creation of a task force to explore transit options.

The task force, headed by Provo Mayor Lewis Billings, has been meeting since June 2005, attempting to answer the question: What are the best alternatives for transit in Utah County?

Earlier this month, Billings unveiled Transit Vision 2030, which includes six "opportunities" to meet the challenges of growth and traffic in the county. One of those includes taking over local bus service from UTA.

But Billings says it's too early in the process to begin comparing the "opportunities" identified in Transit Vision 2030 with UTA's current services or proposals for the future.

Carter & Burgess, the consulting firm hired by the task force to conduct an independent analysis of the county's transit needs, is doing a feasibility study of the task force's ideas.

"I think it's really, really early to say, 'OK, here's an option and here's an option. Which one do you like?' " Billings said. "There's really nothing that has been defined."