As part of their continued effort to establish the direction of the agency and identify ways the UTA can better serve the public, members of the UTA Board of Trustees recently wrapped a two-day workshop where they discussed key items including making UTA’s system more intuitive, developing partnerships with other organizations to promote transit, and understanding emerging technologies and how they might impact transportation in the future.

During the workshop, trustees talked about improving customer wayfinding and information on the system to make it easier for people to use transit and navigate the surrounding area. “Many systems are more intuitive than ours,” said Trustee Necia Christensen. “We need to continue our efforts to provide information at our stations and at stops to help riders feel more secure using the system. We’ve done some things, but we need to do more.”

Also discussed was the necessity for UTA to partner with local and state government to be a part of the regional transportation system that will be needed in response to the projected population growth. “We need to align ourselves with everyone in the growth discussion,” said Trustee Sherrie Hall Everett. “We need to continue to integrate ourselves with all other transportation options and show systemwide we have a clear vision of where we are going.”

Trustee Greg Bell agreed. “We need to really integrate the agency with local communities and focus on their needs and do the best we can to fulfill those needs,” he said. “We need to look at all the things taking place in the community including key development projects, business relocation and growth patterns. We need to position the agency as a leader and strategic partner in regional projects. With growth, there will be coming traffic problems, and UTA can be a big part of the transportation solution.”

Trustees also indicated UTA needs to be part of the technology community. “We should be working with the tech community to help us forecast what’s on the horizon and have them assist us in developing appropriate public policy,” said Everett. “We need to understand what may be emerging in the transportation industry and be ready for it.”