A longtime advocate of public transportation was honored this week by UTA’s Board of Trustees. On Jan. 25, the board unanimously voted to name former Utah State Representative Johnny Anderson to the agency’s Transit Honor Roll. The Transit Honor Roll is a special recognition given to individuals who have demonstrated leadership regarding local transportation issues.

Anderson, who retired from the Utah State Legislature last year after serving four terms as the Republican Representative of Taylorsville, said he believes public transportation is the best answer to traffic congestion and population growth.

“More transit, more buses and more bus rapid transit is really what it’s going to take to solve those issues,” Anderson said. “Young professionals want access to transit, right at their workplace. Public transit is the answer to most of the transportation problems that we see ahead of us, and it’s a lot less expensive than most other solutions out there.”

During his time in office, Anderson sponsored HB 362, authorizing counties to raise taxes to fund local transportation needs. The bill was successfully passed by the state legislature and led to the passage of Prop 1 in Weber, Davis and Tooele counties. As former chair of the Utah House of Representatives Transportation Committee, Anderson also successfully sponsored bills to fund active transportation projects and promote cycling safety.

“What sets Johnny apart is his commitment to collaboration,” said UTA President and CEO Jerry Benson. “He makes sure to work with everyone to get things done. The many times we worked with him we found he always reached out to local governments, UDOT, metropolitan planning organizations and others to ensure the best possible outcome.”