By MARIAM LEWI
Utah Transit Authority buses will no longer be servicing University Mall. Instead the buses will make one stop at 740 E. 1200 South, just outside the mall’s property line.
All transfers that formerly took place at the east entrance of the mall will now occur at the 740 E. 1200 South stop. The change came after two years of negotiations between UTA and University Mall officials.
Rob Kallas, manager of University Mall, stated three major problems that the mall had concerning UTA buses.
Kallas said physical problems topped the list of complaints. He said UTA buses make over 250 daily round-trips across the mall’s parking lot.
Kallas said the parking lot was not built the same as a city road and is not intended to support the heavy pressure the UTA buses bring. Two years ago the mall spent $100,000 in asphalt repairs and another $50,000 last year.
“Over the years we have occasionally financed part of the repair expenses,” said Bill Barnes, spokesperson for UTA.
The second problem is traffic congestion. The route that the buses take through the mall is long and cumbersome according to everyone involved, Kallas said.
The route starts at the south entrance of the mall, stops at Firestone, weaves through the lot towards the Cineplex-Odeon Theatre, stops, turns behind Mervyn’s, stops at the east entrance and then goes back through the lot to exit at either the south or southeast entrances. The route was set by the city in an attempt to keep the noise away from the residential district.
Another factor in traffic congestion is the amount of buses in the lot at one time.
The third problem, according to Kallas, is the behavior of some bus passengers.
“There have been some behavior problems at the bus stop and some security problems,” Kallas said.
“All those kids that hang over there cause the mall all those troubles,” UTA bus driver #249 said.
Mall owners asked UTA to leave on Feb. 22. UTA was given until March 8 to comply with the request.
“We have been trying to move off the property for some time,” Barnes said. He said UTA plans on purchasing a piece of land immediately adjacent to the mall to serve as a transfer point.
Prior to the change, University Mall was the biggest transfer location in the area. Barnes sees a new transfer stop as beneficial to both UTA and the passengers.
The University Mall has given permission to UTA to use the southeast corner of the mall’s parking lot to turn around until other arrangements can be made. UTA will not be allowed to let anyone off on the mall’s property.
“The University Mall is not just a bus stop,” Kallas said.
