Opinion
Letter to the Mayor: Lehi resident expresses frustration with lack of public transportation
Dear Mayor Johnson,
I received your lengthy letter last week detailing your argument for paving over Utah Lake to build yet another highway that will inevitably lead to more traffic and air quality problems. Not once does your letter mention public transportation, or buses, rail, bikes or any other form of alternative transportation that would truly improve our lives.
We want more walkable streets and better housing options that don’t lead to urban sprawl and car dependency. Manyyoung people are not even getting drivers licenses because they don’t want to drive or can’t afford a vehicle. Increasing the number of roads won’t solve this crisis.
When developers buy huge tracts of land and squeeze as many houses they can on them with no other infrastructure around them, they are effectively creating the same situation where people must hop in their car and drive fifteen minutes to get to the nearest grocery store or restaurant. Why aren’t our city planners working with these developers to build livable communities? Why don’t we have protected bike lanes and public transportation in our communities?
I live near 2100 and I can tell you turning that into a freeway is not going to fix the problems if you’re talking about a 40% increase in the population West beyond Eagle Mountain. There is just one bus route (806) with only a couple of stops for our entire area and it doesn’t lead to the grocery store. The UTA transit app says I must bike for 30 minutes to get to the grocery store on the weekend from where I live. Hardly practical.
So yes, you all are ruining Lehi. Developers are ruining Utah. Because you (local and state leaders) are allowing them (developers) to build a non-walkable sea of identical housing with no public transportation infrastructure to accommodate it. We want walkable communities, open green spaces, and more public transit options.
Sincerely,
Sara Kenney
Lehi
