Another Viewpoint: To solve traffic problems, explore many avenues

You may have seen the TV commercial in which a motor oil company searches for the worst commute in America. It won’t surprise AJC readers that one of the featured commuters is trying to drive to Atlanta.

Had we not taken action a few years ago, it would have been equally appropriate to feature Salt Lake City.

By their nature, transportation and transit issues cannot be solved by an individual city or county government. The problems are too large and the scope of influence too wide. The cooperation of city, county and even state government is essential to creating a solution.

In Utah, a big part of our success stems from our ability to present a holistic solution including both roads and transit. Any time we found ourselves getting too far in one camp or the other, the going got rough. The best policy is to acknowledge and advocate the need for both modes.

I call a “roads-only” focus a “rear-view mirror mentality”; it misses the trends happening right before our eyes. The flip side is a “transit-only” focus, which I consider a “pie-in-the-sky mentality.” Get over it: Most people will never let go of the freedom, comfort and convenience of the automobile.

Focusing on one or the other is like asking which is more important, the gas pedal or the brake. You’ve got to have both.

While we added commuter rail service to adjacent counties, our comprehensive effort included a widening of our major interstate (I-15) as well as a parkway to alleviate congestion. Commuters no longer jam onto I-15; they can choose between the interstate, a secondary parkway option or the commuter train, which has been far more popular than our most optimistic projections.

Over the next 21 years the population of Utah is expected to increase by 56 percent, according to the Census Bureau. There is no time to relax or declare our problem solved. We’ve gotten ahead of the curve and must work to stay ahead.

Because the business community, government agencies and lawmakers at the city, county and state levels recognized the importance of resolving our transportation issues, we continue to move forward. In Salt Lake City, located at the center of the fastest-growing region in the country, we will develop 70 miles of rail transit in seven years.

Getting to this point of record investment was difficult, messy and essential. Utah business leaders made it happen.

In a year of cuts in the state budget, transportation saw an increase and the Utah Department of Transportation has 280 work projects this year.

Because we recognized the importance of transportation to the overall economy years ago, we were in better position when the federal government started handing out stimulus money and, consequently, we’re even further ahead than we had projected.

Because we faced our transportation challenges head on, worked together and kept the big picture in mind, we avoided the oncoming catastrophe of crippling gridlock at the Crossroads of the West.

Alleviating traffic issues has increased efficiency for businesses, keeping many from downsizing during difficult times. Funding road and rail projects puts thousands of Utahans to work and stimulates our economy. It’s one reason Utah has fared far better than the rest of the nation during the current economic downturn.

If we continue on the road we’re on, we will continue to garner praise as a great place to do business and we will never be featured in a commercial as one of the worst commutes in America.

Lane Beattie is president and CEO of the Salt Lake Chamber.