Roughly 27% of US greenhouse gas emissions are transportation-related. If you look back on history and the development of our cities, you can see that we drive in today’s society because our urban environments require it. While some places have great alternatives such as public transit available to many different locations, Utah County is lagging as there are entire parts not accessible unless you have a car.
Cities such as Provo have made great strides to add multiple bike paths and the UVX bus system that routes through there while other cities have a lot of catching up to do. As the population of Utah County increases and more homes are built West of Utah Lake, public transportation would only be a benefit to those living there. The two main roads leading out to that area are always congested as more homes are built further away from the I15 corridor and the Frontrunner train.
Utah County already has an air pollution problem and adding another bus system similar to UVX for the West side of the County could help congestion, greenhouse gas emissions, and air pollution as those buses could potentially replace multiple cars on the road daily. Transferring from the bus to the Frontrunner train could help those living on the West side of the lake reach the Salt Lake Valley and North without having to use their own cars. Michael Carolan mentions in Chapter 7 of his book that commuting to work cuts into community time and weakens social ties in the communities where you live. He says the less time you spend in your zip code, the less involved you are in local politics, attendance at public meetings, or vote for representatives.
Michael Carolan also talks about solutions in Chapter 7. While it is hard to change the structure of cities, especially those that have been around for a long time, adding walking and biking paths, and public transportation options is a great way to give people different alternatives besides taking their car everywhere. Carolan mentions that many individuals would still choose their car in many cases unless some more drastic changes were made where you would see your car as a last resort. Currently, we are being incentivized to drive as we don’t pay taxes on fuel for our cars and we get to park for free in many places. If we wanted people to leave their car at home more we would need to incentivize them to do so. No more free parking, taxes on gas, pay-as-you-drive auto insurance where you would only pay for the actual miles you drive and not the same amount as everyone else, increased vehicle registration costs, and more.
I would love to leave my car at home daily and use public transportation to UVU. I have my UVU ID card that gets me access to public transportation for free, and parking is a nightmare on campus anyway. The reason I still drive my car to campus every day and fight to find a parking spot is that currently, public transportation stops running at midnight. The library on campus closes at midnight and after I have everything locked up and walk out the door it is usually 12:15 am. The last Frontrunner train had already left the station at 12:03 am and there is not another train after that. The last UVX bus back to Provo leaves in front of the Keller building at 12:17 am but it is a 10-minute walk to get there so I can’t make that one in time either. When the weather is nice I have taken my bike to work on the Frontrunner train and then ridden it home at night. It is a 7-mile bike ride through Orem and Provo with a limited amount of cars on the road. I have bike paths the entire way so it is a relatively safe ride. When I do this it takes me a lot longer to get home than the typical 15-minute drive in my car, so I can see the appeal for many to keep using their cars when they have them. It would take an increase in registration costs, gas tax, and no more free parking for me to probably take my bike to work every day as right now it is easier and faster to just hop into my car and drive the 15 minutes to UVU and back home again every day.
Source:
Carolan, Michael S. Society and the Environment: Pragmatic Solutions to Ecological Issues. Boulder: Westview Press, 2013.
[Paper written for SOC 3520 class UVU Fall 2024]
Amy Brouwer . 2024 . All Right Reserved
