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Proposition 3 would aid transit

By Jim Bennett


The "Vote for Proposition 3" campaign is now under way. Polling suggests that Proposition 3 in Salt Lake County has broad-based support, yet the biggest challenge we face is confusion about what the measure actually does. So here are the facts.
Both measures, Proposition 3, as well as the Opinion Question in Utah County, propose increasing the sales tax by a quarter of a cent. That part is very easy to understand. The question the average taxpayer then asks is simple: What do I get for my money?
The answer is simple: economic growth. More transit opportunities. Less congestion and gridlock.
Let's start in Utah County. By voting for the Opinion Question, Utah County voters will generate enough tax revenue to create a commuter rail line from Utah to Salt Lake County. Commuter rail from Ogden to Salt Lake City is well under way and may be in operation as early as late next year. It's hard to overstate the benefits of a commuter rail line extending from Provo to Ogden as part of a regional transit system that will benefit commuters on the road as well as on the train.
In Salt Lake County, the list and timetable of transit and highway projects is still being finalized, which can be frustrating to those clamoring for specifics. But we know the benefits will be enormous, and we ought to rally behind Proposition 3 and approve it at the ballot box Nov. 7.
One-quarter of the new tax revenue will be used to preserve Mountain View Corridor right of way, accelerating construction of a major west-side highway across the Salt Lake Valley and into Utah County. We will save multimillions of dollars by securing the necessary land now. The choice is whether we want to pay for it now or pay like crazy later.
A large share of the money generated by the new tax in Salt Lake County will help accelerate significant new TRAX and FrontRunner commuter rail projects. The Utah Transit Authority is planning construction of five rail transit projects in the county: four new TRAX lines to Draper, West Jordan, West Valley, and to the Salt Lake International Airport, as well as new commuter rail from Salt Lake City south, meeting the proposed Utah County segment. Most of the confusion surrounding Proposition 3 focuses on which of these projects will be constructed and how quickly.
Here's the answer.
All of these projects will be built under an accelerated schedule if Proposition 3 passes. But without a positive vote, some of them won't be completed until 2030 — almost a quarter century from now. By approving Proposition 3, all of these projects will be completed much, much sooner — many as quickly as 2015.
Utah's population is growing by roughly the size of Layton every year for the next three decades, and traffic congestion is increasing twice as fast. Every person who rides commuter rail or TRAX is another car taken off of our crowded roads. Anyone who has driven on I-15 across Point of the Mountain during rush hour knows exactly what I'm talking about.
The choice is clear. A quarter of a cent sales tax increase is a small price to pay to preserve Utah's future. No one wants I-15 to become the equivalent of a Los Angeles freeway.
That doesn't have to happen. In Utah County, please vote for the Opinion Question. In Salt Lake County, please vote for Proposition 3. We can create an efficient regional transportation system. If we wait, congestion will only get worse.