Articles

UTA to delay site development decision

UTA will study site further

Airport TRAX

UTA approves FrontLines bonds

'Bus or streetcar?' UTA asks

West-siders lobby for embedded light-rail tracks on North Temple

Different kind of train coming to TRAX

Group trying to put a stop to land deal signed by governor

SLC Council considers aesthetics of North Temple TRAX line

UTA Public Hearings

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Come to the UTA Public Hearings on Re-Evaluation of the Future Draper/BluffDale FrontRunner Commuter Rail Station Site:

· Monday, Nov. 17, 2008 at the Bluffdale Elementary School (14323 South 2700 West, Bluffdale) and

· Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2008 at the Willow Springs Elementary School [13288 South Lone Rock Drive (465 East), Draper].

The hearings will begin at 5 p.m. and end at 7 p.m. with a brief presentation at 5:30 p.m.

At the hearings, UTA staff will be available to answer questions on the benefits and impacts of four potential station sites. The public can make written or recorded comment at the hearing or may submit comments to: Utah Transit Authority, c/o FLHQ FrontRunner Station, 3600 South 700 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84119. Comments can also be submitted online at www.rideuta.com. All comments will become part of the public record if received or postmarked by November 21, 2008.

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Draper UTA Meetings

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Dear UTA Subscriber,

The Utah Transit Authority is hosting a public information meeting to discuss the Draper Transit Corridor Project and the results of a screening process used to further study light rail transit alignment alternatives operating throughout Sandy and Draper. The evaluation results presented at this public information meeting will include information on how a preferred alternative was selected and the minimum operable segment that is proposed to be constructed at this time.

Based on input received at a public scoping meeting last December, UTA further evaluated three light rail alignment alternatives based on cost, ridership and other information necessary for a project to receive federal funding. These alternatives included alignments west of I-15, on State Street and the UTA-owned right-of-way. After extensive evaluation, the Wasatch Front Regional Council (WFRC) formally adopted the UTA-owned right-of-way as the locally preferred alternative and identified a minimum operable segment extending from 10000 South in Sandy to 12400 South (Pioneer Road) in Draper to be constructed between 2008 and 2015. The area extending from 12400 South to 14600 South along the UTA-owned right-of-way is identified in WFRC's Long Range Transportation Plan to begin construction between 2023 and 2030.

UTA Public Information Meeting

Wednesday, October 15, 2008
5:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Skaggs Catholic Center
St.John the Baptist Elementary School
Cafeteria
300 East 11800 South
Draper, Utah

This public information meeting is a precursor to a more formal public hearing tentatively scheduled for early 2009 where the Draper Transit Corridor Project's Draft Environmental Impact Statement will be presented for official public comment.

To assure full participation at the meeting, accommodations for effective communication, such as sign language interpreters or printed materials in alternative formats, must be requested at least five (5) working days prior to the date of the scheduled event. Direct requests for accommodations to UTA's ADA Compliance Officer at 801-287-3536 or dial 711 to make a relay call. To request a language interpreter, please call Sarah Loughlin at 801-236-4783.

What is a NIMBY Part I

Image by CowGummy via Flickr

Exactly what is a NIMBY?

Is it some strange little creature that only comes out at night? Well, no because the night brings out “those kind of people” although some NIMBY’s could be considered strange little creatures.

For the few that don’t know the term NIMBY it means Not In My Back Yard. They are the people who fight every proposal that comes down the pike crying foul that their peaceful little existence will be destroyed. The most outrageous claims will come out that will make people think the end of the world is coming and for those NIMBY’s it is.

You can look to Draper as a perfect example of what claims are made: “it will shake our homes”; “it will increase crime”; “it will bring those type of people”; “our property values will go down”; “it will destroy our peaceful neighborhood” and so on. Most NIMBY’s claims come out of either fear or downright ignorance.

NIMBYism has become more rampant in our society today as people become more isolated from others. These people get in their car drive the kids to school, drive to work, drive to the store, pick up the kids then drive them everywhere then drive home. All the homes in their neighborhood are about the same price range which means many of these people do not interact with people outside their economic status unless it is looking down at their fellow Wal-Mart shoppers or the janitors in their office building.

The isolation also creates a situation where people fear opinions different from their own which can manifest it self either by not wanting to associate with people from other political beliefs, religions, economic status and various other differnces. Just look at how people have become so polarized when it comes to political views and the mean spiritedness that comes with any political today. People do not want to listen to views different from their own because they know that they are right and people who think differently are wrong.

In the long run the major thing that NIMBY’s do is cause the cost of projects to go up while trying to stop projects that make since. They also create so much noise that often times the truly legitimate concerns get drowned out.

There is another type of NIMBY and that is the community activist NIMBY and I will discuss them soon.

Articles

Draper debates development near train station

One guy wants the character of Draper preserved. I think this guy must be living in a vacuum. Draper lost its character years ago. With developments such as IKEA and Draper Peaks it has less character than it ever has.

UTA officials prepare A.F. residents for FrontRunner

Two new publications from UTA on Draper Line...

Two new publications regarding the Draper Transit Corridor Project are now available on rideuta.com.

Definition of Alternatives Report - July 2008

Alternatives Evaluation Methodology Report - August 2008

For more publications related to this project,

The planning and environmental review process is underway to find a transit solution that meets the needs of Draper and Sandy residents and the Wasatch Front region.

For more information on this project

VICTORY against the NIMBY's!!

Image via WikipediaI was preparing to do another Perils for Pedestrians video when I received a Google alert that the State Supreme Court ruled against the NIMBY group in Draper.

Utah Supreme Court rules for TRAX in Draper rail-siting dispute

This is great news for everyone but the NIMBY minority, and now we can have an effective TRAX line through the Draper area.
Next here is another Perils for Pedestrian Video's.

The one thing that caught my attention in this video was making a Dairy Queen in Nebraska more pedestrian friendly. As anyone who tried to get to a fast food restaurant anywhere in the country will now that they are designed for people to arriving and depart by automobile. In most cases the pedestrian be damned. Even in areas that are supposed to be pedestrian friendly fast food places are not very pedestrian friendly.

Of course it is not just fast food places. One of the most pedestrian unfriendly businesses is the post office. Until recently the post office did not have to obey local zoning ordinances so they built their buildings any way they wanted to and they were built supporting the automobile but not pedestrians. When I lived in Sandy I would always used the Midvale Post Office because it was just a couple of doors down from the TRAX station were I would catch my bus after riding TRAX from Historic Sandy. This Post Office has no pedestrian access at all, I had to use part of the main driveway to access the building and almost got hit a couple of times.

The video also has interesting information about what is happening in the Washington DC area and Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

West Valley TRAX Ground Breaking

TRAX train in Murray at the IHC Hospital
Originally uploaded by jmdspk

Ceremony launches construction of West Valley TRAX line

Well, I missed another ground breaking ceremony. First I missed the ground breaking ceremony for the West Jordan TRAX line because of my anniversary trip which was much more important, then yesterday I missed the ground breaking ceremony because I had business obligations. Oh well I made the important Front Runner Grand Opening and there is still 3 more ground breaking's to go including the Airport line, the Draper line and Front Runner to Utah County.

It will be interesting to see what develops at the 2100 South, 1300 South, 900 South, and 500 South stations over the next few years. When all the TRAX lines are up in running those stations are going to have extensive service. While Envision Utah showed some grand plans for the 2100 South area a few years ago little has happened toward that direction except for the mixed used development at 2100 South and Main.

With all the new auto centric developments to the west of TRAX, the best hope for good pedestrian friendly development is the east side. With the addition of the Sugarhouse Trolley you could have a nice pedestrian friendly neighborhood that could connect the TRAX line with Sugarhoure. In fact TRAX could become a border from a nice pedestrian friendly area to the east and a sea of concrete to the west.

Various Transit Related Articles...

UTA FrontRunner Train Testing in Salt Lake City
Originally uploaded by jmdspk

Here are some articles that have appeared in the last couple of days:

Deadly cocktail: Only you can prevent air pollution

Quiet zone on rail line is a reality

Longest quiet zone in the U.S. hushes Utah FrontRunner train horns

FrontRunner: Residents savor the silence

Pulling the brake on the downtown TRAX alignment

Utah high court may settle Draper route

TRAX welcomed in West Jordan

TRAX train in Sandy during a snow storm
Originally uploaded by jmdspk

West Jordan eager for TRAX

What a comparison between the NIMBY minority in Draper who is trying take TRAX away from the best route possible because they feel they are too go for it and the attitude in West Jordan.

Construction will soon start on the line out to Daybreak which will pass right through the heart of West Jordan.

A big project that West Jordan has been working on is the redevelopment of the shopping center at 7800 South and Redwood Road. The first place I lived in Salt Lake City was at the Southwillow Apts at 7000 South and even back in 1997 the shopping center at 7800 South was dying.

TRAX could give this center new life and if West Jordan allows it to develop properly could be one of the premier Transit Oriented Projects in the area. West Jordan will need to do some taming of the Redwood Superspeedway in the section of it is to become a pedestrian friendly area, but it area does have lots of opportunities.

West Jordan could even do something really special and focus on locally owned retailers for the center and show that a center can focus and market toward local retailers and make a success out of it. However, that wold take not only strong leadership on the side of the city, it would also take a management team of the complex who can make it happen.

It is going to be an interesting 10 years in the Salt Lake Valley...

Article Roundup

Top court to hear suit against UTA

City Creek gets updated finish: 2012

LDS-funded downtown SLC revamp aims at 2010 debut

Suburbs, Salt Lake County woo Millcreek

Shuttle system resumes operation in Zion National Park

Transit Related Articles...

TRAX construction at the Intermodal Depot
Originally uploaded by jmdspk

UTA bond rated 'AA' by 1 of 3 agencies

Draper light-rail dispute heading to state high court

Draper NIMBY's at the meeting...

Draper group objects to TRAX route

No surprise that the Draper NIMBY small minority was out in force to stop the big evil TRAX line from using the route it should be using.

The biggest laugh was Ron Page showing that he is one of those people who still has not faced reality and using the road warrior mantra "no one will ride it". We all know that stupid line was wrong and for anyone to be using it at this point is just plain out there.

I do notice that the are not saying it should go down State Street anymore just farther west. In other words anywhere but their precious neighborhood showing that they are NIMBY's in the truest sense of the word.

A majority of Draper supports TRAX and it should be using the private right of way that is designed for rail.

Draper Corridor Scoping Open House...

YOU ARE INVITED TO ATTEND AND PROVIDE INPUT AT A PUBLIC SCOPING OPEN HOUSE

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the Utah Transit Authority (UTA) intend to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to evaluate proposed public transportation improvements to extend fixed guideway transit service through the cities of Sandy and Draper to the southernmost part of Salt Lake County, Utah. The Draper Transit Corridor Project, as defined in the Wasatch Front Regional Council long-range plan, was recently identified as the preferred alternative at the conclusion of a locally prepared alternatives analysis. The EIS will build on the results of the local alternatives analysis and evaluate other reasonable alternatives developed through the scoping process.

The EIS will be prepared in accordance with section 102(2)c of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). The purpose of this notice is to alert interested parties regarding the intent to prepare the EIS, to invite public participation in the EIS process and to announce that a public scoping meeting will be conducted. All interested citizens are invited to attend a public scoping open house to learn more about the project and provide input. The public scoping open house will be held:

Wednesday, December 12, 2007
5:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Sprucewood Elementary School
12025 S. 1000 East
Sandy, Utah

For further information contact: Kris McBride, Draper Transit Corridor Project, 669 W. 200 South, Salt Lake City, Utah 84101; (801) 741-8806; or kris@wfandco.com. More information can be found at www.rideuta.com.

To assure full participation at this public open house, accommodations for effective communication, such as sign language interpreters or printed materials in alternate formats, or a language interpreter for non-English speaking participants, must be requested at least five (5) working days prior to the date of the scheduled event. Direct requests to UTA's ADA Compliance Officer for accommodations should be made at (801) 262-5626, Ext. 3536 or 287-4657 (TDD).

A Victory for the Draper NIMBYs...

Image via WikipediaUTA's quest for federal TRAX funds prompts new impact study

Once again I have to point out that NIMBY group run by Summer Pugh is out to lunch. Anyone who thinks that TRAX should be heading down Station Street and cross 123rd South right by the Interstate 15 clearly has not thought the project out.

This is clearly a greedy NIMBY group who doesn't want what is best but what they want and screw everyone else.

Draper NIMBY Idiots...

Utah Supreme Court to settle Draper TRAX fight

You can tell the people at "Citizens for Responsible Transportation" just hate the thought of big evil TRAX in their neighborhood that they can't even connect the dots and figure out the advocating the State Street route makes them look stupid. Of course all they care about is making sure that TRAX doesn't use the old UP line despite the fact that the line makes the most sense.

For those who actually believe that State street would be a good route for TRAX, I dare you to go to the intersection of State and 123rd South during most hours of the day and see the traffic nightmare created by bad planning and picture adding a TRAX line to the mix.

The UP line makes the most sense...