The Wasatch Front "does incredibly well," says a new national study, in offering public transit near to people who most need it: those without cars.

"Utah really is a good example for the rest of the nation," said Adie Tomer, author of the study by the Brookings Institution, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit research group that focuses on ways to increase economic and social-welfare opportunities.

"Of the just over 20,000 households that do not own cars in the Salt Lake City metro area, only 671 of them are unable to easily access a fixed-route system" for buses or TRAX trains, Tomer said in an interview. "That puts Salt Lake [among] the very top of all metro areas."

Specifically, the Salt Lake City metro area ranks No. 9 among the nation's 100 largest metro areas in the study. Ogden-Clearfield ranks No. 21 and Provo-Orem ranks No. 54.

"So there's still room for improvement, especially in Provo," Tomer said. "But the Utah Transit Authority handles all three metro areas. And most of the people who do not have cars are in the Salt Lake area, and access for 'zero-vehicle households' is best there."

Among those without cars, says the study, 97 percent in the Salt Lake City metro area live near a transit stop; 94 percent in the Ogden-Clearfield area do; and 85 percent in the Provo-Orem area do.

According to census surveys, the Salt Lake City area has 20,098 households without a car, or 5.3 percent of all households; Ogden has 6,770, or 3.9 percent of all households; and Provo has 4,576, or 3 percent of households.

Among the 100 largest metro areas, the study says about 90 percent of households without a car live near public transit. Still, 700,000 such people are not near buses or trains.

"These people are terribly constrained in earning a living," Tomer said. "If you're going to keep afloat during the recession, you have to be able to get to work."

Tomer said UTA has worked well with cities and counties to put bus and train routes near dense housing and job areas, and to use land planning to help ensure that transit will reach most who need it.

"In comparison to other areas, Salt Lake City has more than enough to hang its hat on. But there's always room for improvement."

For example, he said, surveying shows that many people without cars who live near transit still choose not to use it. He said UTA should examine why.

Tomer said UTA also may want to look at ways to make itself more attractive and affordable to such people.

UTA spokesman Gerry Carpenter said the agency's "primary focus is improving ridership for everyone across the Wasatch Front." UTA, he added, has found that people who depend on transit live in all types of neighborhoods.

He said by 2015 — when TRAX extensions to Draper and Salt Lake City International Airport and a FrontRunner line to Provo are complete — 75 percent of the area's population will live within three miles of a "major" transit stop that offers service every 15 minutes or so.

"By 2030," Carpenter said, "our goal is to have 90 percent of the population of the Wasatch Front living within one mile of a major transit stop."

Besides extending routes and service, he noted, UTA is working with cities and developers to foster more "transit-oriented development" with housing and businesses near transit stops.

Carpenter said changes made earlier this month — when new West Valley City and Mid-Jordan TRAX extensions began — also improved access in the southwestern portion of Salt Lake County.

ldavidson@sltrib.com —

Households without cars living near public transit

Salt Lake City metro area • 97 percent, ranks No. 9 among nation's 100 largest metro areas

Ogden-Clearfield metro area • 94 percent, ranks No. 21 nationally

Provo-Orem metro area: • 85 percent, ranks No. 54 nationally

Average among the top 100 metro areas nationally • 90 percent