Show m Fighting Public Transportation Want to get downtown downtown downtown down down- town to enjoy what the city has to offer but dont don't know how to fc get there Join the club By Megan Carney Camey Staff Written When journeying to downtown Salt Lake City it is fascinating to see the city finally coming alive There are art exhibits on almost every street free open air concerts throughout the summer weeks numerous restaurants aswell as aswell aswell well as lounges and impressive shows whether it be the ballet or orthe orthe the symphony With all aU of these new and delightful attractions it s no wonder the entire Salt Lake Valley would like to venture downtown However there is a aprice aprice price to pay when traveling to downtown Salt Lake City from the more distant parts of the val val- ley Thy One has to either drive themselves which can be time consuming not to mention n t 45 pricey with the rise in gasoline costs and annoying with the growing number of people on the roads Another option for commuters is the taxi services or lack of Even though it is now legal to hail a cab in Salt Lake City it is still next to impossible to do so If you are able to persuade a cab company to pick you up and take you to downtown the next hurdle to overcome is the outrageous outrageous outrageous cost you will be expected to pay Most taxi services charge anywhere from 40 30 for a way one-way trip downtown The other option when heading heading head head- i ing to the city is public trans trans- With the implementation tion of and numerous bus routes you would think it would be easy to enjoy all of the enticing enticing enticing ing sites in the city Well the truth of the matter is doesn t run past 11 1120 20 pm p.m. on w weekend nights and most night ride buses change route from day schedules which makes it frustrating when locating locating locating ing your vehicle late at night It only makes sense to have a more functional public transportation schedule for all residents of the Salt Lake Valley During the 2000 elections the taxpayers of Salt Lake City voted to support a tax increase which would pay for a better and more efficient public transportation tion system More than a year later the only tangible evidence of this is a line running east and west on south The Utah Transportation Authority It only makes sense to have a more functional public transportation schedule for all residents residents residents res res- res- res of the Salt Lake Valley UTA says they have future plans to expand light rail services es throughout the valley build a commuter rail between Provo and Ogden as well as adding more bus routes This is all very good to hear however it will not solve most if any of the immediate immediate immediate imme imme- diate traffic problems this city is experiencing If every citizen of the Wasatch Front pays the same percentage in taxes for this new transit system system system tem would it not make sense ethically and morally to supply the same service to everyone Why is it residents who live farther away from downtown Salt Lake receive less public transportation This includes citizens citizens citizens cit cit- cit cit- who may be the most in hi need of a more serviceable transportation transportation transportation trans trans- system In recent years Salt Lake City has grown immensely which has caused more and more people to move or establish residency in some of the more remote parts of the Valley These areas consist of cities like Draper Riverton South Mountain Centerville and Bountiful among many others These cities consist of many residents residents residents res res- res- res who work or would like to participate in events in hi downtown downtown downtown down down- town Salt Lake City However with the absence of a good and proper transit system these residents residents residents resi resi- dents are forced to continually crowd our roads or miss out on what downtown Salt Lake City has to offer Even though our valley is in desperate need for a more efficient efficient efficient effi effi- transit system it is understandable understandable understandable under under- some things take time Most residents of the Salt Lake Valley accept the fact a commuter commuter commuter com com- muter rail won t be ready or usable in the near future Though it is not evident why our present systems schedules and times don t properly serve all areas of the greater Salt Lake area The most sensible solution to this would be to extend night ride service on most major routes or for the time tune being just juston on With this we could alleviate traffic to and from downtown Salt Lake in the early mornings and late in the evenings After this is implemented implemented implemented just maybe we could get full UTA service on Sundays For all those residents who are not so lucky to have a Monday through Friday 9 to 5 work schedule These short term solutions for our transportation system are inevitable Eventually Salt Lake and its public transport will have to join the century and serve all citizens equally The most important question is why not now According to UTA s the funding is available as citizens of this great state we should insist for our government government government govern govern- ment to use our tax money prop prop- erly The money is there let s utilize utilize utilize uti uti- uti- uti lize it and do so properly C Tf JL I JL |