“It’s changing from what I would term as a commuting population to one that’s using as part of their lifestyle.
“Our average customer is 34 years old,” Christensen said. Cities are increasingly adopting transit-oriented building codes-typically denser, more urban-minded developments-around bus and train routes, which boosts the use of and demands on the transit network. There are no immediate plans to build additional rail stations, but Christensen suggested it would not be another decadeslong wait for the next expansion. “Once you go down that road, it’s hard to peel it back,” he said.
But he added that the agency is making a point to be thorough, as it's far easier to make something free than to impose a charge on what previously cost nothing. Spencer Cox has repeatedly floated free transit as a potential response to inflation, though legislative leaders have resisted those calls.Ĭhristensen said that UTA is currently studying the holistic impact of free fares and suggested that more short-term promotions, like Free Fare February, could be on the horizon. UTA waived fares systemwide during the month of February, part of a city-led effort to improve air quality during the winter inversion, and saw ridership numbers surge as a result.
But we have an opportunity with our young population, who are not yet drivers or just beginning to drive, to build transit into their way of life.” “We know the two factors to compel current drivers to take transit instead are convenience and affordability,” Mendenhall said. With TRAX expansion and free fare initiatives, Mendenhall said the city is aiming to make transit a viable, low-cost option for residents who are facing a mountain cost-of-living crisis.
“We’re trying to get the most good out of the growth that’s happening here.”īeginning this fall, school-age Salt Lake City residents will be able to ride transit for free through a program funded by the City Council in partnership with the Salt Lake Education Foundation. “We are the fastest-growing state in the nation, with the strongest economy, and when it comes down to city vision, it's about how we grow,” Mendenhall said. The city has also seen a marked pivot toward public and active transportation in recent years, with projects underway to reprioritize pedestrians, cyclists and transit riders on 200 South, 900 South, 300 West and the corridors around-but notably not on-State Street. Mendenhall said there are a number of potential transit projects in the city’s plans, which her administration is pushing to expedite with the benefit of federal transportation funding. So will it take another 20-plus years until the next new TRAX station in Salt Lake City?
That sentiment was echoed by Matthew Behrmann, senior vice president of the Patrinely Group, whose firm is finalizing a new office tower built adjacent to the TRAX station. “Not only will it serve as a bridge to and from Downtown, but it will also ensure increased mobility for our city’s residents and workforce in the Ballpark, Central Ninth, Granary and Central City neighborhoods. “This station’s midtown location is key to so many Downtown-adjacent neighborhoods,” Valdemoros said. Investing in multi-modal transportation, she said, ensures that residents have convenient and equitable access to the places they need to go. Since then, UTA has made strides in modernizing its traditional bus services, implementing high-frequency routes in Salt Lake City and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lines elsewhere around the Wasatch Front.Īna Valdemoros, who represents District 4 on the Salt Lake City Council, said the 600 South Station both reflects and will add to the southward and westward growth of the city’s urban core. The 900 South Station-on 200 West-was built in 2005, while the S-Line Streetcar opened in 2013.