Hands off of UTA

Last November, voters in Salt Lake County voted themselves a tax increase for transit and transportation projects. This was, in effect, a referendum on the success of the Utah Transit Authority's light-rail system. TRAX has carried more than 50 million passengers since its inaugural run in 1999. Salt Lakers are, obviously, clamoring for more lines.

Despite those successes, UTA is under attack. HB166, sponsored by Rep. Wayne A. Harper and Sen. Sheldon Killpack, both Republicans, would dissolve the authority on Jan. 1, 2008, and merge it into the Utah Department of Transportation.

If UTA was a failing agency, lawmakers should have such a discussion. But UTA is, perhaps, one of the most successful public transportation agencies in the nation. There is no rational reason to merge it with UDOT.

In fact, there is considerable evidence that through the work of the Wasatch Front Regional Council, the respective governing boards of UTA and UDOT as well as the Legislature, the agencies have worked cooperatively through some very steep challenges —among them the rebuilding of Interstate 15 and construction of TRAX's north-south line, as well as the University line.

Some lawmakers are bent on building roads. The truth is, Utah needs a shared transportation solution. Light rail, bus lines and, eventually, commuter rail, will help to increase the capacity of highways. It's not just about moving people from Point A to Point B. It's also about keeping the air clean by encouraging more people to use mass transit.

An argument also can be made for keeping UTA's governance closest to the people it serves. HB166 envisions replacing UTA trustees with an enlarged State Transportation Commission. Conceivably, half of the commission members could be from counties in which there is no UTA service. People who live in rural communities are more car-dependent than their urban counterparts. Such commission members naturally would support road construction over mass-transit development.

This is precisely why the UTA board of trustees model is a better option. UTA is supported by true user fees in terms of the bus and train fares and voter-approved sales taxes. Trustees, appointed to the board by local governments, represent residents of Box Elder, Weber, Davis, Salt Lake, Tooele and Utah counties.

Where is the evidence that this model does not work? To the contrary, voters in Salt Lake approve of UTA's operations so much, they voted themselves a tax increase to further its reach. The Utah Legislature needs to respect that sentiment by shelving this bill.