“I don’t drive a car and that helps me to exercise; and I’m afraid of car accidents, I feel safer on a bike or walking. Drivers don’t pay attention, I don’t like it when people text and drive, a lot of people are doing that. And, of course, gas is very expensive too.” So begins without hesitation a recent interview with Ada Rhinehart, a single mother of four children ages 11-16, at Enliten Bakery on Center Street, a likely location because it lies along the very route she sometimes takes late at night on her way home. And a route that to her feels safer when it’s dark. You soon get the feeling that Ada is passionate about active transportation, her words flow easily and continuously in describing her daily walks and bus rides across town to work, seven miles away, and then back home. UTA bus services in Provo and Orem she also regards well, “buses are safer because [the] drivers are better drivers and buses are heavier, so safer.”
Ada lives in the Slate Canyon area where bus service is minimal and traffic is heavy on South State Street (Highway 89). The streets are well laid out with bike lanes and sidewalks, so she walks the 1.6 miles to the 400 South UVX Station to take advantage of the no fare service on her way to work. After a three mile bus ride Ada gets off at the 2230 N Station and begins a one mile walk along the Provo River Trail to arrive at her work place, “always early.” She cheerfully tells me that public transportation in Utah County and beyond is “great, [it] gets me everywhere I want to go… Ogden, Park City.” At first, several years ago when Ada was just starting her new job, she was wondering “how am I going to get to work.” She wasn’t very familiar then with getting around town without using a car, “but once I figured out the route it was easy. Now there’s nothing to it.” On certain days, if she’s meeting with friends or dining out, she will return home to take care of her family’s needs and then, at times with her children, walk 1.7 miles back to the downtown district. That’s 8.6 total miles of walking, and it doesn’t include the leisurely strolls she enjoys with friends through some of Provo’s more picturesque neighborhoods.
And all this Ada does year-round, neither rain nor snow, heat nor cold discourages her. But it takes some planning, she explains, “an umbrella, backpack, good shoes, checking the weather report” and managing your time well are essential. Her children also walk or use buses, a bike, a skateboard or a scooter to get to school. She feels all this active transportation is healthy, but does wish better bus service could be developed in her area. There “are a lot of low-income [families] in my area, and a lot of them can’t afford the gas” needed to make their daily commutes to work by car. “More buses, less cars” would be her choice, “especially because of schools in the area.” Does Ada feel safe walking along our city streets? Yes, “I feel very safe walking down that road [State Street], bright lights and businesses open. Fresh air, seeing a lot more and meeting people, that’s the beauty of walking,” she then adds.
