Category Archives: Public Transportation

Fairpark Community Council Hosts SLC Mayoral Candidate Forum

The Fairpark Community Council hosted a Candidate Forum for Salt Lake City Mayor to a packed house at its meeting on June 25 at the Northwest Community Center in Fairpark. All 5 candidates, or their representatives, participated in the brief introduction and overview of their races, followed by a group Q&A session. Good4Utah.com (Channel 4) recorded the session and posted their piece here.

The following is a recap of the candidate presentations.

Mayor Ralph Becker

Ralph Becker – Mayor Becker is has been in office for 8 years. His administration has rejuvenated the downtown, made significant improvements in transportation and has implemented equal rights policies in housing and employment. The city boasts #1 status in the U.S. for job creation and is in the top 10 cities for sustainability and livability. The city has initiatives in place that have decreased the carbon footprint, but there is much work still to be done, according to the Mayor. While the city has increased prosperity, the city has initiated a “5,000 Doors” campaign due to the increasing disparity with people regarding income and housing.

Jackie Biskupski

Jackie Biskupski – Jackie Biskupski’s representative was on hand as she was at a scheduled campaign event. “She will listen” was the prevailing theme of her platform. Biskupski was a legislator for 13 years and enjoyed a close working relationship with the city during her tenure on many issues. She understands the West Side issues, including resources for things like infrastructure, street lights, clean river, a safe community, protected bike lanes, safe crosswalks, and economic development.

George Chapman

George Chapman – According to Chapman, issues have been ignored with regards to transportation, homelessness, safety and many other city issues. Chapman’s platform is based on the need for more police, more transit service, protection of open space and better air quality.

City Council Chair Luke Garrott

Luke Garrott – Currently a Salt Lake City Council Chair, Garrott’s campaign is focusing on public transit, clean energy production and affordable housing options in all neighborhoods. All neighborhoods should have better resources and be engaged in “participating budgeting” to have a voice in what is funded in their areas.

Dave Robinson

Dave Robinson – Robinson is a first time candidate for office in the political system. An owner of multiple businesses, he has a strong interest in building and development. Robinson’s platform will focus on better public transportation, homelessness, the rights of property owners, issues that affect the housing market and affordable housing.

Q & A (Ms. Biskupski was not represented in the formal Q&A due to her prior commitment)

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SLC Transit Master Plan

As Councilman Lamalfa mentioned in the May Community,Council meeting, Salt Lake City is currently working on developing a SLC Transit Master Plan (TMP). The TMP is a city effort to document SLC’s short, medium and long-term public transportation needs, goals, and implementation strategies to improve transit. The Plan will include an in-depth analysis of how people are traveling today,
the strengths and weaknesses of the current mass transit system, and projections for future growth to identify a network of corridors for investment. A survey effort will be conducted in Summer of 2015. For more information, visit slcrides.org

Hive Pass 2.0 Has Arrived!

Last year, Salt Lake City, in partnership with the Utah Transit Authority (UTA) started the Hive Pass, a reduced fare pass for residents of Salt Lake City. Hive Pass 1.0 offered Salt Lake City residents with unlimited rides on buses, TRAX, streetcar, and FrontRunner for a cost of $30 per month. The caveat being that residents would have to commit to buy the Hive passes for 12 months. The retail price of a monthly unlimited ride pass on these modes is $189 per month, so residents were saving $159 per month. When the Hive Pass was introduced, the city hoped that 6,000 residents would purchase the pass in its inaugural year. They ended up selling about 3,000.

After the first year pilot of the program, Salt Lake City is back with Hive Pass 2.0. The new Hive pass will let residents ride on buses, TRAX and streetcar lines. FrontRunner was excluded as the city found that most residents who bought Hive passes did not use FrontRunner. This new pass will cost $42 a month (a 50% reduction), but there is not a yearlong commitment. Residents can pay month to month and cancel their Hive Pass at any time. The city has capped the number of available Hive Passes at 3,000 this year on a first come first served basis.

The Hive Pass is a great opportunity for Fairpark residents. With the new Airport TRAX line, many of us are within a few blocks of a TRAX station. Fairpark residents will hopefully take advantage of this opportunity. Hive passes can be purchased now at the City and County Building. For more information please go to www.ridewithhive.com.

North Temple Park and Ride? Maybe….

Some residents were excited to see the parking lot just West of Jordan River, north side of North Temple designated as a UTA Park and Ride.

Well…this is not quite true.

Christopher Chesnut, UTA, the UTA managament who visited the Fairpark Council last year, explained that, while Park and Ride signs have been posted at the front gate on North Temple, the parking lot is a temporary arrangement between UAH and the Utah State Fair. UTA hopes to come to an agreement with the Fair in the near future for a more permanent arrangement.

The temporary Park and Ride is open for use.

Mr. Chesnut noted that the lot does not have any security. He cautioned people against using it for longterm parking.