Traffic jams road to ruin

Although we don't recommend it, you may have time this morning to read this editorial during a traffic jam you may encounter along the Wasatch Front.

A new study says Utah motorists waste up to 76 hours and 56 gallons of fuel annually sitting in traffic. These traffic jams cost Utah motorists as much as $1,275 a year in wasted time and fuel. According to The Road Information Program study, Utah County had 14 of the 25 most congested roads in Utah while Salt Lake County had eight.

To motorists who brave these roadways every day, these study findings validate their experiences morning and night. They also speak of the need to construct new roads and develop transit projects to relieve traffic congestion and spur economic growth.

That's precisely what's envisioned in two ballot measures that voters in Salt Lake and Utah counties will consider on Nov. 7. Utah County voters will be asked whether to approve a quarter-cent sales tax increase to build commuter rail. Meanwhile, Salt Lake County voters will be asked for a similar tax hike to fund new roads and transit projects.

The alternatives? Longer waits for the construction of needed roadways, light rail spurs and commuter rail, which translates into more expensive transportation projects. It also means more wasted time in traffic jams, more wasted fuel and lost time at work.

The voters of Utah and Salt Lake counties need to support these tax hikes. Despite the rebuild of Interstate 15 and the addition of TRAX to Salt Lake County, the Wasatch Front's transportation needs are outstripping the ability to meet them. This is partly due to population growth. But Utahns are also driving more. According to the Vote for Rail & Roads campaign, which backs Proposition 3 in Salt Lake County and Utah County's Opinion Question, vehicle miles traveled increased by 66 percent between 1990 and 2002. At this rate, the time spent in traffic congestion could triple in the next 25 years unless steps are taken to construct new roadways, expand TRAX and launch commuter rail.

As voters drive to the polls in less than two weeks, they need to contemplate their transportation futures. Proposition 3 and the Opinion Question provide residents of Salt Lake and Utah counties a concrete means to invest in the state's future transportation infrastructure, air quality, economic well-being, not to mention a very real opportunity to stave off traffic jam-related headaches.