Wednesday, June 19, 2019

UTA TRAX Green Line Reconfigureation

As I'm browsing the WFRC 2019 LRTP, a pleasant surprise:

The plan is to move the Green line off Main and onto 400 West. I recall UTA buying the ROW a ways back. (Although calling the track 'existing' is a bit kind, given its present condition).  This corridor would take a lot of the 'bends' out of the current Green line route (which wends through downtown, stopping at intersections, at considerable time-cost. As is, the Green line makes FIVE (5) turns, getting through downtown SLC. If you ride Trax to the airport from points south, it's an enraging detour. Remember: Good (high ridership) transit route are direct, and the green line currently has a weird 'jog' in it's general 'L' shape.

Turns are also unsafe: For some reason, too many drivers don't realize that: a) you can't share a train; b) Trax takes a long time to stop; and c) the train (not your SUV) is the biggest thing on the road. I live near an intersection where drivers are prone to illegal left hand turns, and I've seen the aftermath of those crashes: TRAX hitting an SUV is like a bowling ball meeting a soda can. The SUV crumples and flies, and the train...gets its paint scratched.

Itt will be nice for Pioneer park to get direct TRAX access. Maybe this is part of the justification for the 'Bridesmaid' corridor? A plan to move the essential transfer point AWAY from the non-central 'Salt Lake Central Station'/Intermodal Center? That would make sense--as I've noted previously, Central Stations are silly.

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And your thoughts on the matter?