This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
I am excited for the recent and future extensions of the TRAX and FrontRunner lines. They will improve the quality of life in our community.
However, the Utah Transit Authority is expanding faster and spending more money than can be reasonably supported by our community. It is spending millions for lobbyists, too generously compensating executives and, of course, paying for multiple construction projects.
These costs are being passed down to those who can least afford it. Fares are going up, fines for infractions (regardless of how minor) are outrageous and tax dollar funding is increasing.
UTA serves a segment of the population that often has a hard time making ends meet. Public transportation should be cheap and efficient so it doesn't price out the very people who need it.
I applaud the effort our state has put into public transportation, but it should ratchet it down a little and let our recession-afflicted community catch up.
I would like to see more news articles about UTA, but hopefully future stories will be about its efforts to keep costs down, rather than how it feels comfortable liberally spending our money.
Alex White
Salt Lake City