Car sharing

Just when I was seriously thinking about rejoining the (car)rat race, it looks like Salt Lake City and Utah Transit Authority (UTA) in league with U Haul are joining up to introduce car sharing to Utah. I think I will hold off a few more months and see what gives with the program. The only drawback that I see so far is that the cars will most likely be located in the central corridor at TRAX stations. The article does mention that vehicles will also be at the University of Utah, so here's hoping that the program will have more convenient locations for most folks. One would hope that they will realize that the cars should be placed near where people live, rather than where they pass through or work at. These cars, after all, will mostly be used by consumers who don't want to lug goods from stores to their homes on public transit.

Victory!

Well after a very shaky, might I say butter-fingered start to tonight's game, the Jazz came to their senses and pulled out a great come-from-behind victory against the Pistons. I don't know what in the hell was going on in Minnesota (other than the Jazz may have been dazed by the continual howling of the timber wolf sound effect they apparently like to use ceaselessly in Minniapolis), but I'm glad they pulled out of it for a fine 1 and a half quarters tonight.

They actually looked like the playoff contenders they are.

On other victory from defeat fronts, House Bill 188 that I wrote about earlier that had shady intent on UTA, failed by 8 votes in the Utah House of Representatives. I received the following email from previously mentioned Representative X:

After hearing the floor debate today, I voted against HB188. Thanks for
writing and sharing your views on the bill and the role and management of
UTA. [Representative X]

Is this the end of statewide legislative meddling in what should be a locals only concern? Of course not. I still firmly believe that UTA should drop the "Utah" out of their name and switch to "Wasatch Transit Authority."

I also wrote and thanked Representative X for her vote and congratulated her on her service as she is retiring this term.

Haibun while contemplating an abandoned bus stop

While sitting on my front porch this evening, I was struck by the contrast between the metal bus stop pole complete with its "BUS STOP ELIMINATED" placard and the gentle brown complexity of the tree next to it. I decided to sketch the scene. The sign has its flag-like blue and white UTA metal sign at the top, with its friendly-looking bus, and UTA contact information. Below are the confusing plastic signs indicating that the route is being changed, and then finally, on the bottom, that the route has been eliminated. Here the friendly bus has been crossed out with a disturbing red naught--an "O" with a slash through it. The metal pole the signs are attached to is galvanized and full of holes. It is firmly sunk into the grass of the parking strip by the corner of my lot. The sidewalk runs peacefully by, unaware that it will no longer feel the weight of people waiting to be transported somewhere out from under the shade of the tree that grows a few feet away.

My elbow rubs against the banana plant next to me as I capture the scene in my sketch book. The trunk of the tree draws my attention: a white knot-hole of a missing limb becomes all important to me. It whorls out over the page with my pencil.

The shadows in the street cross each other, and the solidarity of the sidewalk runs hard over the bottom of the scene.

My pencil scratches against the paper.

I have been careful to leave room to write this between my rendition of the pole and the tree trunk:

The contrast between
Metal and wood wounds my eye
On this summer night

Keen!

Now this is a keen idea: Flexcar or Zipcar. Something tells me, however, it is going to be a long time before they offer this service in SLC.