Commute a work in progress

Deseret Morning News editorial
Published: Monday, June 18, 2007 12:40 a.m. MDT
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As you commute to work this morning, take notice of the drivers with whom you share the road. According to a new Census report, Utah is fifth in the nation for the percentage of commuters who car pool. The report says 12.8 percent of Utahns car pool to work, compared to 10.7 percent nationally. It's a surprising figure, considering Utah highway officials' oft-heard lament that the state would get more life from its road construction projects if drivers increased the numbers of people in their cars. Perhaps this distinction is the payoff for creating high-occupancy vehicle lanes.

But the same report noted the relatively low percentage of Utahns who use mass transit, just 2.3 percent compared to 4.7 nationwide. But it is somewhat specious to compare Salt Lake's evolving transit system — which includes the addition of light-rail lines and commuter rail — to established and built-out systems in much larger Eastern cities such as New York City, Washington, D.C., and Boston. As Utah's systems mature and become more reliable and efficient, transit ridership will surely increase. For a metropolitan area of its size, the Wasatch Front has impressive transportation options.

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The ongoing challenge of adding life to highway improvements and mass transit expansion is encouraging more and more Utahns to leave their cars in their driveways and hop on a bus or train. The goal of Utah Transit Authority's redesign project, which is an ongoing effort, is to make transit so convenient, reliable and quick that Utah drivers will leave the driving to bus drivers and train operators. UTA is even experimenting with picking up bus riders curbside.

Seemingly, as motor fuel prices continue their upward trend in Utah, more people would be seeking alternatives to driving. Thus far, relatively few people have changed their habits. Economists say high gasoline prices, which consume on average about 5.3 percent of a Utahn's gross income, will soon change how Utahns spend and drive.

This page has praised UTA's latest efforts to revamp its systems with an eye on increasing ridership and long-term financial viability of the service. It faces an uphill battle with respect to Westerners' love affair with their automobiles. But it is a hopeful sign that so many Utahns car pool. They may be more open to changing their stripes than originally thought.

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