NOVEMBER 2022
RIVERTON REVIEW Official Newsletter of the Riverton, Utah City Government MAYOR’S MESSAGE
UTA Service is Inequitable By Mayor Trent Staggs Since being appointed by the Council of Governments (COG) in February to represent the southwest Salt Lake County region on the Utah Transit Authority (UTA) Local Advisory Council, I have discovered there is enormous inequity in service delivery and public transit access in Salt Lake County.
Further, Salt Lake City has 48% of rail stations in Salt Lake County while southwest cities have only 5%. As proof of the inequitable access to public transportation between these two regions, Salt Lake City accounted for 50% of all UTA boardings across all modes in Salt Lake County in 2021 where southwest cities accounted for just 2%.
Perhaps even more disturbing is a review of geographic financial contribution compared to service. UTA operations are funded largely by sales tax dollars collected from taxable sales in each city that are dedicated to mass transit. Based on a cost per ride and mode review, it costs an estimated Salt Lake City, with just over $27.4 million more than what Salt 200,000 people, or 1,817 people Lake City generates in sales tax per square mile, accounts for 17% to provide their UTA service. In of the population of Salt Lake contrast, southwest cities generate County. The southwest cities of $21.1 million more in Bluffdale, Herriman, sales taxes for transit Riverton and South “Despite the roughly than it costs to deliver Jordan, with just equal population their current level of over 202,000 between these two UTA service. This is people, or 2,996 areas – Salt Lake City inequitable and blatantly people per square has 32% of bus stops unfair. mile, collectively in Salt Lake County account for 17% of I believe our goal should while southwest the population of the county. Despite cities have only 2% of be to have an equitable public transit system the roughly equal bus stops.” that provides reasonable population between access to those who these two areas contribute to its operation. After all, – and even denser southwest the more people who use public population – Salt Lake City has transit, the less congestion we have 32% of bus stops in Salt Lake on our roads and the better our County while southwest cities have air quality will be due to reduced only 2% of bus stops. The cities of emissions. Unfortunately, we are Riverton, Herriman and Bluffdale far from that goal right now. do not have a single bus stop!
RIVERTON REVIEW | NOVEMBER 2022
Percentage figures are based out of the total of Salt Lake County. Population figures are from the 2021 U.S. Census estimate. Ridership and service figures are based off of data provided to Riverton City by UTA on September 1, 2022.
Population figures are from the 2021 U.S. Census estimate. Land area in square miles comes for the 2020 U.S. Census listing. People per square mile is calculated by dividing the population by the number of square miles.
I call upon the UTA Board of Trustees and the Utah State Legislature to conduct a full analysis and audit of UTA service and finances to identify inequities in service and lack of access in various geographic regions in UTA’s service area. This audit and analysis should also include cost effectiveness and use of each mode of transit offered by UTA. I encourage those concerned about this inequity to reach out to their state representatives,
state senators and the UTA Board of Trustees to express their concern. I’m confident that southwest Salt Lake County isn’t the only region served by UTA that has incredibly poor access and is massively subsidizing the UTA system elsewhere. Solutions must be put in place that increase access and make the system more geographically equitable. Express bus lines on major east-west and north-south roads in the southwest area would be a good start.
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