SALT LAKE CITY -- Thousands of people travel into Salt Lake City every year for 4th of July festivities, but with all public transportation closed, it's making roads more crowded than they would be otherwise.
Some argue that if UTA had bus and TRAX service up and running on Independence Day, it could help cut down on traffic and parking. Other cities across the country have public transportation running on a special schedule during the holidays or even just run on a Sunday schedule.
But in Utah it's completely shut down. Sugar House's Transportation Committee wants to see a change for future years.
"We would like to see them even provide limited service on these holidays so the people who are working can get to work and people who are looking to enjoy amenities such as the Sugar House fireworks and the street fair that we have today can enjoy it with peace without the stress of being stuck in traffic," said Deb Henry, chair of the Sugar House Transportation Committee.
Deb also points out that UTA has special service for BYU and the University of Utah football games and they should also meet demands for the holidays.
In a statement sent to FOX 13, UTA spokesman Remi Barron said holiday demand is something they're taking into consideration.
"Because the July 4 is a federal holiday and the majority of our riders are commuters and students, UTA service was suspended for the day. Regular Saturday service will resume tomorrow. UTA just finished and opened three new rail lines last year, including the S-Line streetcar. As our ridership and revenue streams increase, we have plans to add additional service and we are evaluating holiday demand," the statement said.
UTA says they are looking for feedback. You can submit that here: http://www.rideuta.com/mc/?page=AboutUTA-CustomerService
