Quality of Life
The Vision
Utah’s Transportation Vision is a process to collaborate with partnering agencies in order to establish a shared vision for transportation statewide.
Quality of Life Framework
Encompasses the health of individuals and communities, recognizing the role of active transportation in mental and physical health as well as environmental conditions contributing to health such as air quality and water quality.
Addresses traditional transportation objectives to reduce delay. It’s thinking that goes beyond just moving cars to moving people. Public transit, walking and biking need to become real options for more Utahns.
Recognizes the vital role of transportation in business and commerce. Not just at the intra-state and inter-state levels, but also how transportation can help inter-city and intra-city economies.
Points to the intersection of transportation and land use as well as the need for intermodal connections between walking, biking, transit and vehicle travel.
Overview
In the 2018 legislative session, with the recommendation of the Transportation Governance and Funding Task Force, lawmakers passed a comprehensive transportation bill that addressed funding mechanisms and transportation oversight to continue integrated, long-term planning. SB 136 directed the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) to develop statewide strategic initiatives across all modes of transportation.
Stakeholder Committee
The Utah Department of Transportation asked the governor to help convene a stakeholder committee from governmental agencies, transportation partners and related stakeholders for input and discussion. This committee helped define the statewide transportation vision as a Pathway to Quality of Life.
Implementation
While implementation of the Framework resides with individual agencies, the Quality of Life Framework provides guidance for statewide, regional and area-specific planning and policies for aligned transportation action at local, regional and state levels.
Quality of Life Stories
Safe, Healthy, and Active Streets Initiative
The experience of a global pandemic has changed many of our daily activities and routines. For now, kids across the country are doing online school, many people are working from home, and those going to work do so with the added risk of exposure to COVID-19. There have been significant changes in the places we go and how we get there. In Utah, the average weekday traffic volume on the freeway has decreased by 30-45%. Mobility around retail, transit stations, and workplaces are all down about 40%, while visits to parks are up by 16%. Although many of these changes
Utah’s Unified Transportation Plan
Utah is among the fastest growing states in the country. The way we grow and plan for the state’s future will determine the quality of life residents experience. Utah’s transportation agencies and local communities work together to ensure an excellent quality of life that includes good air quality, a vibrant economy, and affordable transportation choices for all Utahns. https://unifiedplan.org/
2nd Annual Move Utah Summit
Over 400 hundred attendees gathered at the Little America Hotel on September 26th to participate in the 2nd Annual Move Utah Summit. The Summit, organized by the Utah Department of Transportation’s (UDOT) Move Utah program, is the only event of its kind in Utah. It brings together hundreds of health and transportation experts, state and local officials, and policymakers to collaborate on improving the health and well-being of individuals and communities.
Utah Communities Prepare for Growth
Utah’s cities and towns are taking many positive steps to address growth and provide access to housing at all levels. They are using the keys they hold as municipal leaders to make cities work for the residents they serve. See an example of what several cities are doing as we take a virtual walk throughout the state.
Working Together to Improve Quality of Life
Get Healthy Utah is working to support increased active transportation in Utah in order to improve health. Active transportation is any self-propelled, human-powered mode of transportation. Activities may include taking the bus to work, biking to school, or walking to a friend’s house. Physical inactivity is closely linked to a number of chronic health conditions such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and cancer. A recent study showed that Americans adults are spending over 6 hours a day being sedentary. In Utah, only slightly more than half of adults and only 19% of adolescents are meeting the recommended physical
Wasatch Choice 2050 Vision
You’ve likely heard Utah is growing. What you may not have heard is how much and how fast. According to the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, we will add 1.5 million people to the Wasatch Front by 2050. That’s 45,000 people each year!
Resources
Factsheet / Framework
The Quality of Life Framework is the primary tool to act upon in order to align transportation policies, planning, and decision-making across modes and locations.