Story in Valley Journal- Jan 2007

Vintage trolley could be viable option for SSL
Valley Journal

By Liesel Gowen
Imagine walking along 2100 South
by a lush green park. The birds are
singing and you stop at the trolley station
to catch a ride to Sugar House for a day
of shopping.
Doug White, South Salt Lake resi-
dent and organizer of the Sugar House
Trolley Association, presented this pic-
ture to the South Salt Lake City Council.
“All the trolley systems currently in
use have been set up in the last 10 to 15
years,” he said. “And everywhere they
have gone in, property values dramati-
cally increased.”
UTA currently holds the rights to
put in whatever transportation system
they find feasible along the 2100 South
corridor. They are researching White’s
suggestion to see if it fits into the larger
picture.
In the meantime, White has found
several workable trolleys the city could
use for less than half the cost of a TRAX
car. White has also collected $500,000 in
donated time and materials from corpo-
rations and individuals.
UTA project manager George
LaBonty said their major concerns are
whether it is safe and efficient. They will
not put in a system that does not fit with
the community, he said.
“People are concerned with what the
cars will look like. They want to know
how noisy it is and whether it will rum-
ble when it goes by,” LaBonty said. “We
will not move forward on a project that
does not meet these basic needs.”
The system that goes in will not
exceed 30 miles per hour and will stop
frequently, LaBonty said. This addresses
the concern brought up by city attorney
Dave Carlson, who said many residents
initially did not favor a TRAX line
because they believed it would pass them
by without serving them.
“We have met with the neighbors in
the area and we have pretty well convert-
ed everyone to the idea of having a line
by their homes,” said Mayor Bob Gray.
Because it holds the legal rights to
public transportation in South Salt Lake,
UTA would have to sign the right-of-way
over to White for him to complete his
trolley project. LaBonty said UTA would
take longer to complete the project than
White would, because UTA has so many
projects that are a higher priority, where-
as White’s main focus is to complete this
project.
“Land use drives transportation,”
Labonty said. “We are working with Salt
Lake City, South Salt Lake and Sugar
House to make sure there are no fatal
flaws.”

SSL news with mention of trolley

South Salt Lake

Council bumps up apartment fees

Extra service demands cited; tighter outdoor smoking rules adopted

By Cathy McKitrick The Salt Lake Tribune Salt Lake Tribune

Article Last Updated:01/26/2007 02:11:26 AM MST

SOUTH SALT LAKE - The City Council has bumped up business fees charged on apartments of three units and larger from $25 to $64 per unit. A recent city-funded study showed that the city's rental units - 62 percent of residents in the community rent rather than own - use a disproportionate amount of services, especially in terms of police and fire calls. "This is a thorough study. I'm convinced the $64 fee identified is a minimum in regard to disproportionate impacts," said Councilman Bill Anderson. "The problems in apartments have caused our more law-abiding citizens to shoulder those costs for too long." In other council action, members voted unanimously to ban smoking in city parks, and on ball diamonds, soccer fields and trails. The no-smoking zone also extends to within 50 feet of mass gatherings of 50 people or more that are either city-sponsored or take place on city-owned property. Smokers who light up in the wrong spot could receive a warning - or be fined $25. At the request of some of the council members, golf courses were dropped from the ban. "They were taken out of the ordinance so people could enjoy tobacco there - not that the city owns a golf course," said City Attorney Dave Carlson. The ban is intended to limit the ill-effects of secondhand smoke, which contains class A carcinogens and impacts children in particular. The council also passed a resolution pledging $30,000 toward an alternatives analysis study for the Sugar House Transit Corridor - an east-west, two-mile route that could run in the vicinity of 2200 South from 250 West to 1100 East. Partnering in the study is Salt Lake City and the Utah Transit Authority. The two cities will pay $35,000, with corridor owner UTA kicking in $65,000. The corridor could one day connect Market Station, a mixed-use development under way in South Salt Lake, to the Sugar House commercial district. According to UTA Project Manager G. J. LaBonty, the study will take six to nine months and will compare various vehicle options - rapid-transit buses, trolleys, streetcars. Such vehicles travel at speeds lower than 30 mph and can make frequent stops. Trolley proponent and Rose Park resident Douglas White, who has studied that option for several years, said he hopes that the nostalgic form of public transport becomes the preferred vehicle to service the route. cmckitrick@sltrib.com

Sugarhouse Transit Alternatives Study

UTA has selected an engineering company, Fehr and Peers, to conduct the Transit Alternatives Study for the Sugarhouse and South Salt Lake. They have been given the "green light" to start the study and will be organising themselves to look at the various options and gather public opinion.


I will post more information as I get it.



-Doug